


Crystallized Time

by EclipseMage



Series: Final Soulburst [7]
Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Big heckin' crossover, Child Abandonment, Cloud and Tifa try to be parents, F/M, Kids going through stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-05 00:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15852123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclipseMage/pseuds/EclipseMage
Summary: Serah knows she doesn’t belong in Edge, that she shouldn’t know the Strife family as well as she thinks she should. That she needs to find way off world as soon as she can. That she’s going to find her fiancée despite not finding a single gate in Edge’s vicinity. But first, some drama with the Strife family. Takes place some months after Dirge of Cerberus. Contains massive spoilers for both the VII and XIII series.





	1. Chapter 1

For a moment, Serah could swear she was awake. Only, she didn't see things like this in the real world.

It was Noel's old home, his time after the end of Cocoon. Crystal dust covered the land, drifted against rocks and mountains like fallen snow. Only, it was too warm for snow. When she walked, her boots crunched in it like it was broken glass and it billowed about her feet like dust in a storm.

Off in the distance, a lone woman's song drifted in the air, though Serah knew it to be a figment of the dream, augmented by her own memories and experience. From Noel's rare and precious lullabies that he said came from his mother, from when he sang her to sleep in their infrequent breaks between gate jumps.

She missed his voice.

Caught the smell of burnt flesh drifting in from the west.

"Serah."

She whipped around to see Noel, standing in a black uniform with fine trim like one might see in Academia. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I don't dream, not anymore."

"Serah," he repeated, voice weak. Blood stained his uniform a dark red in the chest, abdomen, neck… He stood there with unseeing eyes.

Serah marched up to him. "This," she hissed, " _didn't_  happen."

He didn't look at her, though she could make out the details in his eyes, the red rims and veins that marked a lack of sleep.

She held her breath to steady herself. Perhaps it was a normal dream, but the vivid detail was outside what she was used to experiencing in a normal night. Not that she'd had one recently.

Noel breathed one last time and collapsed to his knees. Against her better judgement, Serah caught him before he could fall to the ground. At the weight in her arms, Serah looked away, face flushing with anger that faded to a cold ache in her stomach and heart. Her eyes stung with tears, but she fought them back.

Noel's body went still against hers.

When she woke again to her downy covers and early morning rays in Edge, she told herself it was just a dream. It didn't act like the others, and therefore it couldn't be real. She didn't remember it, so it didn't happen.

Her eyes stung, hot with emotion. She gritted her teeth against the confusion and lied to herself that it would fade with the day. She just had to get back to work and the feeling would fade. The pain would dull, and she would feel normal again.

She got up, dressed for the day, and reminded herself to focus on the trip she'd make to Midgar. Just because there wasn't a gate here in Edge didn't mean there wasn't one out there in the vast world of Gaia to take her to Snow and the others.

Serah took a breath, puffed out her chest, and checked herself in the mirror. Perfect ponytail and tough clothes ready for a trip up north. It wasn't her first, and it likely wouldn't be her last – she was an adventurer, after all.

She pulled on her travel sack and left the house to greet the morning and her chocobo, Snowflake, who cooed drowsily at her touch.

"I know it's early," she told him, "but I want to get this done sooner rather later, okay?"

"Kweh…"

"I'm sorry." Serah rested her cheek against his neck. "I'll keep it short today, okay?"

He reluctantly let her release and mount him.

She traveled light today and it would help them move faster, but getting outside the city still took at least half an hour and covering the expanse to Midgar would double that. But Serah savored the cool morning breeze that brushed at her skin and teased her air.

When she traveled, she felt a little like herself again. Like Serah Farron, sister of Lightning and traveling companion of Noel Kreiss, and fiancée to Snow Villiers. Serah Farron, schoolteacher and history nerd, now with her wanderlust satiated by the open plains and sky. Serah Farron, former seer and l'Cie. Thankfully.

After that incident with Tifa several months back, she didn't want to go anywhere near magic again. Not her time magic, at least.

When she finally reached the ruins, Serah took to the paths that led downward and guided her chocobo amongst rubble and fallen architecture.

The remains of Midgar were treated by some to be almost holy – not to be touched by the mortal hand again – while others feared it as a cursed site. The rocky terrain created by all the fallen debris and salvageable metal made it more of a cavernous underground tunnel than a once-proud city. She could see why Denzel still came here for regular resource-collecting for the garage.

The church said to belong to the White Mage of the Slums stood tall and proud amidst the ruin, illuminated by the light of the morning sun that bathed the vicinity in a fiery-orange hue. Serah parked her chocobo a short distance from it and tied the saddle to a large pole stuck in the ground.

Serah, much as she didn't believe in the sacred nature of burial places, felt a solemn reverence as she approached the church. Only the roof had been destroyed, with barely half the original beams still hanging in place. It smelled of honey and lemon, which originated from the flowers that prospered here. Water still trickled from inside, Serah found as she stepped up to where the front door used to be, tiny streams rushing past her feet from the pool inside.

Petals floated in the crisp water. Serah removed a glove to test it. Pooled it in her closed fingers and took a small sip. She could only make out the faint hint of husky wood in the taste, which she took to mark sufficient safeness. Serah couldn't remember the last time she'd had pure water without having to go to the store for a filter.

Taking that as a good sign, Serah tiptoed her way around the pool. It only took up the front section of the church, leaving the back and side wings mostly untouched. She moved her search efforts to one of those wings.

Living a new and different life here on Gaia, she thought she might find herself a little more desperate to get out when her memories returned. But honestly, after traveling through time as much as she did, rushing didn't tend to change much, and what were the odds that the way off world would turn out that much different from how she did it before, with Noel?

Serah heaved a broken bench out of the way and found nothing underneath. She moved old boxes, tattered cloth, and shattered beams.

People talked about this place like it was untouchable to human fingers. Most didn't like the idea of disturbing what was effectively a graveyard for the old citizens of Midgar that didn't make it after Meteor. She relied on that forbidden nature of it, hoping it would lend to the discovery of an artefact or gate.

She got down on her knees and peeked into the hidden crevices formed by warped wood around the corners and lodged pillar pieces against the walls. Splinters bit into her knees, but Serah would take time later to heal those out. It wasn't like she had any battles or ailing friends vying for use of her mana, though that Geostigma certainly took its toll a year ago.

She wondered if that disease was at all connected to some of that unrest going on in the poorer sections of Edge.

Serah sighed and fell into a sitting position. She couldn't find any telling distortions or shimmers that associated with a gate or artefact. If there was one around here, it certainly wasn't inside the church.

Holding a cure to her knees, Serah bit her cheek and looked about her. It was already past noon and she'd only scoured the church. The ruins of Midgar were so large, the thought of searching all of it made her head hurt. Maybe she could get help from someone…

No. Serah dismissed the cure and her skin itched for a moment before returning to normal. She made for her chocobo, but not without a regretful glance behind her. If she tried to tell anyone she remembered a life that didn't exist anymore, how quick would they be to throw her in a mad house? Not that they had a mad house in Edge, but they would probably find the resources the moment she opened her mouth.

She reached the chocobo and took a moment to pat him down in thanks for waiting. He chirped and tugged at the rope binding him to the rock, hopeful for release. Serah scratched behind hiss head. "I'm sorry, Snowflake. I'm afraid it's another false positive."

She pulled the reins free and Snowflake cooed – at least he didn't give her strange looks for her comments. She glanced to the ruins one more time and caught a brief glimpse of glowing eyes. There were whispers of strange noises coming from Midgar, and some speculated the place was haunted.

Serah instead suspected a connection to a gate, but she had yet to find one. Or even an artefact to grant her passage.

But then, that was what she was used to by now.

She mounted Snowflake and started back for Edge.

* * *

Denzel wiped his brow with the back of his glove whilst the burly man at the register rang up his items. Outside, rain pounded the window and provided a rhythmic sound to balance out the banging in the back of the shop.

"You better watch yourself," said the man, giving Denzel's items a cursory glance. "You'll spend your whole pay if you're not careful."

Denzel looked between him and the assorted collection of bolts and hinges that the man placed in a large bag. "I know."

The register chimed, marking the completion of payment. "Got any special plans this week?"

"No." Denzel gathered the pieces. "Just fixing a few things."

"Last week's storm, right?"

"Yes."

"Quite something, wasn't that?" He shook his head. "Take care, kid."

Denzel nodded his thanks and left, wiping a hand on his pants. Tifa would kill him if he dirtied the walls again with the grime he picked up from the auto shop.

At the end of the day, Edge was winding down and people with umbrellas and raincoats surrounded Denzel on their way home from their respective occupations. He rushed home, bag clinking with the new parts, and used only his hand to keep the rain off him. There wasn't much to help him with his bike, but the house took priority.

When he got home, Cloud was in the front room on the computer and looked up at his arrival. "That was fast."

"They let me go early." Denzel kicked his shoes off and Cloud nodded in understanding before turning back to his computer.

Denzel couldn't help his gaze lingering on that part of Cloud's forearm that showed wrinkled skin, like the water damage dried over on some of the walls. A remnant of the stigma – one that Denzel shared around where his scalp met his forehead.

He shook himself free of the thought, grabbed a screwdriver and wrench, then moved upstairs.

Neither Marlene or Tifa were back yet, as no one appeared to greet him when he peeked into both their rooms to find them empty. That was all the better for him, since Marlene's room was one of the targets and she didn't take well to him hanging around it.

He tested the window first, ensuring it was closed before returning to the hinges. The storm left its mark on the frame, having ripped the door from it completely. The wood showed the expected damage, with splinters poking out the whole side of the frame. He needed sanders and paint to re-seal it. Thankfully, they had awnings above most of these to protect his work from the rain.

Chewing on his lip, Denzel made his way downstairs again. "Hey, Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Where do we keep the sanders?"

"Below the sink."

Denzel turned to leave, but Cloud asked, "Do you still see her?"

He hesitated, sweaty fingers gripping the railing. "Not really."

"How long?"

"A month, maybe."

Cloud nodded, satisfied, and Denzel took that as a sign that he was allowed to go again. The supplies were where Cloud said they were, so he took them and ran back upstairs to start sanding. He'd barely set the power tool to the wood when a gentle, ghostly hand set itself over his and Denzel looked up to see the flower lady standing beside him.

"It's okay for them to know," she said, chestnut hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and held with a red ribbon. "Why don't you trust them?"

He looked away again and said nothing. The lady vanished as abruptly as she came, leaving a faint tingle where her hand touched his shoulder.

When he finally got to painting the wood over, he heard the front door click open and Marlene's voice carried through the house, "I'm home!"

Cloud said something in return, but Denzel couldn't make out what the words. They conversed until Denzel finally got out the new hinges and got to screwing them in. Marlene acted strange after Barrett visited the other day and he felt weird about talking to her sometimes.

Marlene appeared in the hallway, a bounce in her step as she approached him.

"Guess what I found!" she said, pulling out a book. "This is the last remaining copy of the Materia Stories from Midgar! A salvage crew put on an auction and I had just enough to win it!"

She sounded happy and not tense. That was good. Denzel broke away from the door to look at the book. "Cool."

"Daddy read it to me a thousand times! It's about a girl who wanders outside the city and has to find a materia of each type in order to find her way back, and there's a talking bird that's actually a rich boy cursed into looking like a bird, but the materia changes him back into a human and he guides her back to Midgar where they fall in love and I think they get married!"

"Wow."

Marlene hugged the book to herself. "It's the whole collected works! We'll read it tonight!"

Denzel nailed the last hinge on and pulled the door up straight. Marlene dropped the book and helped him lift the door into position. "It taught me not to judge people based on their appearance," she said as Denzel slipped the hinge pins into place. "I think stories are really important for learning those kinds of things."

"Yeah."

"What about you?"

He shook his head, testing the door. It swung smoothly, and its clean hinges provided a certain lack of squeaking.

"Oh, well," Marlene said, placing her hands on her hips. "At least one works now. Are you going to do Tifa and Cloud's, too?"

Denzel nodded and gathered his supplies. Marlene followed him the two feet across the hall. He started pulling out the rusted, broken hinges.

"I had a dream last night." Marlene steadied the door for him. "It reminded me about a test in the morning, even though I never had one. Thank goodness."

Denzel frowned and finished. Picked up his supplies.

"Tifa's bringing dinner home," Marlene said. "She called me."

Denzel nodded and returned downstairs while Marlene followed him. The last door was in the kitchen, leading out the back. They'd used temporary wooden beams to keep out the elements, so Denzel had to break those off before removing the door itself.

"What about Aerith?" Marlene asked as she helped him. "What does she talk to you about?"

Denzel shook his head. "Not much. Strange things. Like Cloud talks about in his adventures, sometimes."

Marlene pouted. "That sounds like her. She talked about all sorts of cool stuff when I was with her. Flowers and growing them and all that. Like Tifa does now. She told me about her home and being raised by a human mother even though she was immortal and like an alien or something."

Alien.

"Oh, and Tifa also said to make you know to avoid that street downtown that we always pass. Said something bad happened there."

Denzel slipped the last pin into place, securing the door in place, before he picked up the remaining debris and moved into the other room. Cloud barely glanced up at their emerging from the kitchen, carrying beams of wood and other things. Denzel had Marlene deposit the wood out front to be stored where Cloud would want it later while Denzel took his tools back to his room.

Aerith appeared again, her ghostly form walking with him up the stairs. "You're doing such an amazing job. I'm proud."

Denzel glanced up at her.

"You'll do great with white magic," she told him as they entered his room and Denzel set his things in one of his drawers. "Though I'm not sure who to find for your teacher. It's difficult to teach from the Lifestream. I have so many other things I'm doing at once, I don't think it would work to add a pupil on top of that, though Zack would love you."

"Zack," Denzel repeated. "Cloud's friend."

"Yes. It's a relief to know he's told you about all that. I worried for a long time that he would never let that pain go. I'm enough to handle, I think."

Denzel shook his head. "He doesn't do it often. Only when he's feeling sad, and he only talks to Tifa about it. I hear them in their room sometimes when I'm trying to sleep."

"Does that bother you?"

"No." Denzel took a seat on his bed. "They do it because they want to protect me. But that's a waste of time, because I'm already…"

She frowned and joined him, the presence of her strangely warm despite him knowing she wasn't real. "You're not damaged, you know. You've just gone through some hard things in your life and it's made you stronger."

"Maybe." Denzel touched his forehead. "But I only saw you after I got better. Did the sickness hurt my brain?"

"No." Aerith wrapped an arm around him, which Denzel refrained from squirming out of. "The Lifestream is a part of the planet, and it got hurt really bad. Because it was hurt, it couldn't take care of itself like it was supposed to and accidentally got people like you and Cloud sick. The Lifestream is everywhere, but you don't see it. It's not supposed to be in your life, but we messed up. We're now connected, even though we shouldn't be."

"That's why Cloud sees you? Tifa says he got really close to the Lifestream once."

Aerith gave him a smile that looked forced. "He did. But he's doing better now. … I need you to do something for me."

"Do what?"

"I don't want you to tell Marlene or anyone else. Understand?"

He reluctantly nodded.

"There's something very wrong with some of the other worlds out there. You know the other worlds, right?"

"The dog that visited the other day talked about a 'planetary system.'"

Aerith nodded. "That dog is a very smart boy, like you. There's a man in the village that knows a lot about that kind of stuff, and he did a good job of teaching Nanaki. But what they know doesn't even scratch the surface of the vast universe and its mysteries. Even I don't know much about it from my time being dead."

"You learn about it?"

"Yes," Aerith said, "but not in the way you might expect. Anyway, what I need you to do is go find Serah Farron, your tutor."

"But she's gone on another one of her trips to Midgar."

"Not for long." Aerith closed her eyes. "I feel her making her return trip now. But never mind all the cryptic nonsense, all right? Deliver this message for me."

"What message?"

The corner of Aerith's mouth quirked up in a smirk. "That she's gonna have a visitor very soon and she shouldn't freak out about it."

"A visitor." Denzel blinked and touched his forehead.

"Not like that, silly." Aerith wrapped her other arm around him and squeezed close. It felt like a flame burning into him, but without the pain. "It's nothing for you to worry about. Not yet. But I want you to keep everyone together, okay?"

Denzel slowly nodded. "I understand."

"That's a good boy."

"Hey, Aerith?"

"Hm?"

"Do Cloud and Tifa…" The words caught in his throat. Aerith released him enough to pull some distance away. He worked his mouth for a moment, the thought suddenly elusive to him. Too scary to put to words. Too scary to think he might be right.

"They love you." Aerith touched her forehead to his. "They may not be as good at showing it, but they do. Be patient with them, okay? They're not used to having kids, and it'll take them a while to know how to show you they care."

"… Okay."

"Be good, now." Aerith tapped him on the shoulder and stood before her figure vanished into light.

Denzel blinked at her sudden departure. It was a little disconcerting, but he wasn't surprised. He was starting to get used to her strange quirks, and he wondered if she was like that in real life. Marlene didn't seem to think so, but Marlene also seemed to see the world differently from him.

Sighing to himself, he picked up his white-materia-embedded pole from its position by his dresser and left the room to head outside. He still had the bar area to polish, cosmetics to touch up, and a second job to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Edge was a welcome sight to Serah as she crested a hill lending her a view of the city. Its skyline was small compared to what Midgar offered even in its ruined state, but people milled about in Edge's streets and showed life that Midgar lost years ago. The fog of pollution had dispersed from Midgar, and little of it hung over Edge.

A breeze rustled the grass and teased Serah's hair, bringing with it a slight chill. She looked to see clouds gathering on the horizon and kicked at her chocobo to hurry it on.

Scenery passed, reminding her of Cocoon despite the gritty atmosphere. It may not have the same glimmering lights and shining streets, but it held the population she'd grown used to in Cocoon. Pulse was emptier and full of struggle for the first year, which taught her a lot of things, but she missed the everyday comforts of home. She missed normal life with Lightning when they were girls and life was more about working to put food on the table than fighting for survival against vengeful gods.

"Miss Farron!" one girl cried at the sight of her. "You're back already!"

She smiled and paused to dismount, taking the reins of her chocobo in hand before stooping down to look at the girl. "Marlene," Serah said, noting the girl's new white dress. "How've you been?"

"Same old." Marlene flexed her fingers inside tight leather gloves. "Denzel blacked out the other day, but that isn't new."

"Have you been keeping up with your homework?"

Marlene nodded and followed Serah through the milling streets. "Tifa says I'm getting better at my mathematics!"

"Good," Serah took them through a small tunnel that led to her house. "How about your history?"

"It's stupid. What are the old habits of Midgar going to help me with in my life?"

"If we don't learn from the past," Serah said, quoting an old source from Cocoon, "then we become the past and mankind doesn't progress."

"But I'm not gonna hurt the planet," Marlene protested. "I couldn't even if I wanted to! Shinra's gone, and I wouldn't work for them anyway."

"I'm sure you wouldn't, but you never know when someone similar is going to come along. This way, you can distinguish the patterns and tell people from their actions instead of their claimed goals."

Marlene folded her arms and huffed. "I don't like it."

They arrived at Serah's house and she took Snowflake to his shelter before pulling out a handful of greens. He earned a treat after such a trip, no matter how short. "If you want help," Serah said, "I'll be in town for a while. I don't have any other jobs to do for a few days."

"I don't know." Marlene kicked at the ground. "No one can make me like history."

"Doesn't mean you can't learn it." Serah petted down the chocobo and turned to Marlene. "I can't force you to like it, but I can make learning it more interesting. How about we try a game?"

"A game?"

"Yes." Serah held up a hand. "Name a major incident in recent years that involved Jenova."

Marlene's eyes shot wide open. "What?"

"Rise of Shinra," Serah said. "The Jenova project occurred around the time of Shinra's growing power, and the project served to strengthen their hold and influence. What about the Turks?"

Marlene visibly scrambled for an answer. "War with Avalanche!"

"Yup." Serah put her hands on her hips. "Make a competition out of it with Denzel and have your parents moderate. You'll learn the material in no time!"

Marlene frowned. "But I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Because it's dumb."

Serah sighed. "Now you're just being difficult."

"I'm being honest!"

"You would think so, wouldn't you?" Serah straightened and puffed out her chest. "But do you know how much you'll regret it if you don't take the time now to learn? Payment comes due eventually, you know."

"What does  _that_  mean?"

"Miss Farron!"

Serah drew up short and looked up to find Denzel running their way.

"Miss Farron," Denzel huffed, stopping a few feet from them. He placed his free hand on his knee and used a pole in his other hand to support himself. "I have a message."

Serah blinked. "Who from?"

"Why aren't you at work?" Marlene demanded.

He brandished a long, metal pipe in his hand. "I'm on my way. Miss Farron, Aerith says you'll have a visitor soon."

"Aerith?" Serah looked around them. "Isn't she the flower lady from the church? Didn't she die before Meteor?"

"Yes." Denzel visibly swallowed, and she made out a hint of panic in his eyes. "But-"

"Never mind." Serah smiled and waved a hand. "I get it."

"You do?" Denzel and Marlene spoke in tandem.

"Of course." It wasn't like she was unfamiliar with dead spirits. "Let her know I say thanks for the information."

"She says you're welcome," Denzel blurted, then flushed. "And that you look nice today."

 _That_ gave Serah pause. "… Why can't I see her?"

Denzel blinked and looked to his side. Then back to Serah. "Because the deaths of gods change… something to do with realms and interdimensional communication. She also says it's easier to communicate with one living person than a room full of them"

"Anyway," Marlene said, "Tifa doesn't like it when I stay out for long at all."

"Right." Serah snapped out of her reverie. "Of course. I don't want to keep you."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Farron," Marlene said, "Tifa wants you to come over sometime! We've temporarily shut down the bar for repairs and we've got some extra time to hang out today."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Denzel and Marlene waved goodbye and Serah turned to go back inside, thoughts still racing. She wasn't the only one.

Inside, she found her house for this world. Trinkets that she'd found in her travels all sat aligned in one bookshelf, the special ones that she deigned not to sell.

She wasn't the only one searching, right? What if Snow was out there right now, looking for her? Was he also trapped on his world, or had he found a way off?

Her house felt empty without him. The kitchen and bedroom were void of any sound, though they smelled like curry. It was all she could think to make lately, and it reminded her of home with its similarities to what they ate on Cocoon.

Serah moved through the house, not bothering to unpack this time. She would probably leave soon anyway. Eyes lingering on her bed in the far room, she wondered if it would be worth a nap to try to glean any other memories she might have.

"Snow," Serah dared let the sound grace her tongue. She hadn't spoken his name out loud in years. Not since her first dream. "Where are you, Snow?"

Past one of those gates, probably. She was tempted to go right back out, but she'd trained herself to take it slow and careful after she nearly got herself and Tifa killed last year. She couldn't afford to jump in without looking – the currents of time and space weren't kind forces, and they had no lenience for recklessness.

Taking a deep breath to still her heart and quiet her anticipation, Serah moved to the kitchen. She could afford to take food to the Strifes – she hadn't spoken with Cloud and Tifa in days, and she missed interacting with people who understood what it was like to have the cosmos toy with their life.

Something rippled in her conscience, like when her ears plugged up and sound was reduced to muffled noise. Something echoed in the space of her room, but there came no distinct sound with it.

"Enter I, Gabranth of Archadia."

"Are you the visitor?" Serah placed a hand to her head as if she could block out the sound. "Who are you?"

"A representative from the realm of the dead." A vibration moved through her skull. "You are one of those sought by the servants of Mwynn?"

"What?" Serah stood and looked around her. "No? Where are you?"

"Within. There is no point to looking. Listen instead, for I would converse on topics critical to the welfare of our known universe."

Serah swallowed hard and looked out the window, at the people roaming Edge's streets. "You know about Bhunivelze and what He did?"

"Indeed." A sensation like cold dread filled her stomach, though Serah didn't feel any fear. "The sleeping goddess, the creator, Mwynn. She is His originator and now has deployed various agents throughout the worlds to see Her work done."

"She's the same as Bhunivelze?"

"We can only assume such." Another ripple of dread. "And we must err on the side of caution lest we stumble into the very threats that face our existence. I will speak candidly – one agent searches for you as we speak and we cannot let them take you where they please. Not until we know their goal at the very least."

"Okay." Serah watched faces pass outside. "So… I shouldn't talk to people?"

"… Perhaps not."

Serah raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. Who was she to contradict the disembodied voice in her head?

"You've yet to make a mastery of your powers."

Serah nodded, though the muscles in her neck felt stiff. Kept her eyes outside and found a man accompanied by a dark-skinned and white-haired bunny woman. They conversed in a calm manner, body language reflecting a certain comfort together.

Within, Gabranth turned up short. Shock and the faintest fear muddled her senses for a moment and Serah caught a whiff of familiarity. Of nostalgia.

"Ignore that for the present." The two passed out of view. "They are not our problem."

"Oh!" Serah jumped to her feet. "The Strifes!"

"I don't understand how this is a concern to be-"

Serah blocked the presence from her mind for a moment. She had to figure out her next visit with the family and she couldn't believe she didn't think to coordinate with Denzel and Marlene earlier.

* * *

Denzel crouched low, pressed his free hand against the wood, and felt the grain against his skin. His other hand gripped his trusty pole, ready for the moment that tiny claws skittered his way.

"I swear we don't usually have this problem," said the housekeeper – a lithe woman with flowing, purple hair and tight clothes. She sat atop a stool in the middle of the kitchen floor. "But the rain's chasing them in and I can't afford to let them gather."

Denzel glanced up to see the grey clouds outside. No rain hit the windows, but he doubted that would last long.

Skittering across the wood.

Denzel whipped his pole forward and slammed the mouse backward. It hit the wall with a tiny squeal, then slammed to the ground. It zipped away from him and toward the trap laid underneath the next table. Another squeal.

Denzel stood and adjusted his grip on his pole. "That should be the last of them."

"Oh, good." A relieved smile broke across the woman's face and she climbed off the stool. "Is there any way to keep them out for good?"

He scrunched up his face in thought. "Not much. You can protect your food by putting it up high, but I've never seen a house be impenetrable unless you litter the ground with poison."

The relief faded. "Oh."

"But rain season should end in another week." Denzel looked about them. "This won't last much longer."

"Good, good." The housekeeper smoothed down her dark pants. "I don't know that my job could last another week."

She paid him 1500 gil and sent him on his way. Pest control wasn't as fun as working with the auto shop, and it didn't pay quite as much, but Denzel still felt the new coins in his pocket as an encouraging weight. It would pay for the materials needed to polish the bar area after the glass got cleaned up, though not much more. And maybe he could finally get some of those parts he needed for his bike.

His project sat, neglected, in their garage back home, but he likely wouldn't get to work with its haphazard engine just yet. Soon, he'd install the exhaust system and tank and after that, he would only have to worry about the little stuff before he got to add exterior plating.

He swung his pole about in his hand and savored its scratched and roughened surface. Twisted it about him a few times before letting it fall idle again at his side.

It wasn't a long walk home, but he ducked through an alleyway for a shortcut and again through a grocer's backyard. Old miss Hollen didn't worry about that kind of thing like Mr. Crane did.

Some darker alleys led away from the familiar part of town and he couldn't help a glance down one. Some man in a fine suit passed by at the other end and Denzel could swear that man returned the glance.

Got back on the way home.

He was one street away from Seventh Heaven when he heard a scuffle not five yards from where he stood. He gripped his pole closer, moved his coins between pockets for distribution and less clanging, then turned the corner.

And found Marlene brawling with two boys twice her age. One took her by the shoulder and pummeled her in the stomach.

She hit the ground and Denzel's blood went cold. He rushed in with a cry, pipe swinging.

Both boys perked up at his approach and Marlene scrambled back to her feet. Denzel took the first one in the knees. The boy screamed and dropped.

The other one rammed into Denzel with a large hand and sent him crashing into the concrete. His head cracked against it and stars filled his view before the pain set in.

His pipe was wrenched away and Denzel blinked out the stars just in time to see the bigger kid raise it above him.

Only to get tackled by Marlene.

Denzel groaned and struggled to get to his feet. The smaller kid that he hit in the knees stumbled his way.

Denzel forced himself up and put out his fists like Tifa would.

The guy moved at a sluggish pace and Denzel's mind blanked. He lowered his fists and approached the guy.

"No!" The bigger one slammed into Denzel. They both hit the concrete.

Marlene screamed and took the big one again. She kicked at him and dragged him away from Denzel.

Denzel blinked more spots out of his view. Marlene hit the ground beside him.

The bigger boy tossed the pipe aside with a clatter and drops of rain hit the ground about them, causing scattered dots of darker color. Felt it on his skin.

"Pathetic," one of them mumbled before gesturing to the other. "Let's go, Bin."

Denzel rolled onto his back and sucked in a deep breath against the aching in his stomach. It caused a stinging sensation in his lungs.

As the footsteps faded, Denzel pulled out his staff and started up a cure spell from the materia inside. His head pounded while the energy drew itself from him.

He turned to Marlene, who had blood dripping from scrapes on her face, arm, and knee. Her braided hair had turned frizzy and partially-loose from the scuffle, and she blinked bleary eyes against the rain.

Before he could finish the cure, Marlene slapped his hand away and shot to her feet. "I had them! Why did you interrupt me?"

He drew up short, cure evaporating. Stomach still hurt. "Because-"

"Do you think I'm not strong enough to take care of myself?!"

"No!" Denzel pulled himself upright. "I just want to help!"

"I don't need help!" Marlene turned on her heel. "I'm just fine by myself!"

Denzel remained frozen to the spot for a moment, confusion riddling his thoughts. His eyes stung, and it took a moment to realize that his cheeks were hot with tears that mixed with the drizzling rain. He scrubbed the wetness away before crawling to his staff and taking it up.

The adrenaline faded, leaving his body aching. Marlene disappeared around the corner and he knew there was no way he'd catch up.

After walking a few steps, he found his left foot hurt to use, so he leveraged his pole to keep the pressure off. He was used to sprained ankles as a worker for Triple S, but that was a while ago and the pain brought more tears to his eyes.

Odin, what a wimp he was.

Denzel focused on the clinking of coins in his pocket to remind himself he had something to look forward to back home. Tifa and Cloud at least would be glad to know he would cover some of the expenses for them, even if Marlene was upset again.

People passed. He watched the ground, wary of holes in the asphalt or litter that could catch his pole.

He couldn't help the feeling of eyes that bore into him, of someone watching from afar. He didn't look up – didn't want to see what it was that followed. Instead, he kept his gaze on the ground and waited for the feeling to pass.

It never did.

* * *

A/N:  _I'mma switch to posting on Saturdays by my time because I started an internship that includes Fridays._


	3. Chapter 3

Serah held a small stack of books in one arm and a handful of cracked materia in the other. She could never guess what Marlene would like best, but Serah liked to think the girl appreciated dark and solemn reminders of Midgar. She took a shine to the more macabre concepts and stories that Serah brought back, after all. A surprising contrast to her sunny personality.

She took a quick breath and knocked on the door.

After a moment, Tifa opened it and greeted her with a warm smile. "The kids are just inside."

Serah followed her in to find the house's windows all uncovered and letting in the natural light of the slightly-clouded sky. The rain from the past couple of days cleared out a lot of the smog and allowed for a brighter sun.

Tifa retreated back into the kitchen and Serah heard the faucet turn on.

Denzel sat hunched at the entrance table, fingers fiddling with some piece of wire. Before him sat a large-scale model of Gaia, with various other spheres populating the space around it, including an even bigger one in the center.

"What's this?" Serah looked Denzel's way. "One of your projects?"

He nodded and pulled out his pliers to force the thing back into position. "The planetary system."

"Well, that's kind of advanced, isn't it?"

Denzel took out a welding torch. "Maybe."

"Oh, Serah!" Tifa called from the kitchen. "There was a 'Sice' looking for you earlier?"

Serah thought for a moment and called back, "I don't know the name! Was it about tutoring?"

"She didn't say!"

"Miss Farron!" Marlene hopped down the stairs. "I swear I did my homework!"

"I should hope you did." Serah set her books on the table but kept the materia in her hand. "Because we'll be continuing Shinra's line of succession and its effects on the population before we deal with Meteor."

Marlene gave a loud groan and took her seat at the table. "But I hate economics!"

"Without Shinra running the city-" Serah joined her- "there's a lot more power in the hands of the people, and it's important for us to know how that all works if we want to keep it that way."

Gabranth's presence returned to her for a moment and a sensation of familiarity and nostalgia swept over her.

"Denzel." Serah looked his way. "Have you reviewed the laws of gravity and physics that I told you about last time?"

"Yes."

"Are you accounting for scaled distances between planets?"

"Yes."

Serah frowned. He was quieter than normal. "Let me know if you have any more questions, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Farron."

Serah turned back to Marlene, who opened one of the books to look at a table detailing the timeline of Midgar's building, development, and politics. "If you're good today…" She set the materia on the table. "… Then I'll give you some of these guys that I found."

Marlene glanced at them, then back to the picture of Midgar, lips forming a pout. She took a moment to respond with a grumbled, "fine."

Serah paused and looked between her and Denzel, their usual synergy all but gone. "How about we focus on Rufus' rise to power? That should be an easy one."

"I already know about it," Marlene mumbled.

Probably for the better, anyway. Thinking about covering the collapse of Sector 7 left a pit in Serah's stomach. She chewed on her lip. "Do you have any questions you want to talk about?"

Marlene rested her chin on the book and flicked at its edges. "What do they say about Avalanche?"

Serah tapped at her chin. "You know about the reactor explosions, don't you?"

"Yeah. My dad caused them with Cloud and Tifa."

"Well, they destabilized the trust of the people in Shinra's leadership and led to a long period of unrest among the upper sectors. Most below didn't notice the effects…"

"Did Denzel notice?" Marlene looked to the boy, who didn't return the glance.

Serah blinked. "That's a good question. Denzel, did you parents say anything about it?"

"Just that it caused problems at my dad's work." Denzel kept his eyes screwed on a piece of wire he was using to connect two planets. "I don't remember anything else."

Serah thought back to the loud debates in the educational offices where she worked – those lasted for weeks after the first explosion. "There wasn't much else to remember."

"Was Avalanche bad?"

Serah blinked and looked down at Marlene, who didn't take her eyes off the book before her. A quote was listed near the picture of Midgar, " _Anarchy is the enemy of human existence._ "

Serah thought through her response before asking, "Why?"

"My dad… he blew up buildings for the sake of the planet, but not for the sake of Midgar?"

Her mouth went dry. "It… caused problems for Shinra. And those problems rippled down the chain of command, through corporate and related businesses. But it was something that had to be done eventually. If your father didn't lead the charge, then either someone else would have stepped up, or…" The words sounded weak to her own ears. "I don't know, Marlene. There are some questions we ask that are harder to answer than others. Your father couldn't watch the planet die, couldn't let us all die with it… but sometimes things get worse before they get better. And addressing a problem often creates other problems in its stead."

"He's not a bad man?"

"Of course not." Serah placed her hand over Marlene's on the book. "Midgar had a lot of problems, and everyone tried to fix them in their own way. Even Shinra wasn't  _all_  bad."

A motor shut off outside and the door opened to admit Cloud, dressed in black and wearing dark goggles over his face. He pulled his gloves off and put up his goggles to give those at the table an appraising glance. "Serah?"

"Hey, Cloud."

"How's it going?" He came their way and set his gloves on the far end of the table, near Denzel. "Studies?"

"Yeah." Marlene dragged herself upright and made a show of rolling her head on her shoulders. "Just going over Shinra and stuff."

"Shinra. Cool." Cloud looked at Serah and she thinned her lips to express her discomfort. He narrowed his and looked between the kids.

"Cloud." Tifa appeared again and distracted the man with a hug. "How was your trip?"

Serah held out one of her broken materia to Marlene. It glittered pink-ish in the afternoon light despite its dull center and the girl looked at it with not a small amount of longing. "Take at least one."

"Thanks, Miss Farron."

"Any progress with those powers of yours?" Cloud asked.

Serah started and looked up. "I haven't dared touch them since… you know."

"But it hasn't bothered me since." Tifa placed her hands on her hips. "It probably couldn't hurt to try again."

Serah smiled. "Just because you somehow acclimated doesn't mean everyone else did. I'd rather not cause vertigo across the board again."

"Time mages didn't cause issues like that did they?" Tifa turned to Cloud. "You know, in the stories?"

A ripple across her conscious and a weary voice said, "I've found no sign. Watch her closely, Judge."

"I will."

The second presence faded as quickly as it came and Serah was left with a fleeting sense of nausea before Gabranth apologized and also faded for a moment.

She nudged Marlene. "You've been stuck on that same page. Are you doing okay?"

She nodded and turned the materia in her hands without looking. "Yeah."

"I think we're all a little tired." Serah leaned back and stretched. "Maybe we should play a game, huh?"

Marlene sighed and left the table. "I don't feel like a game."

Serah blinked and watched her ascend the stairs.

"Let her go," said Cloud. "She needs her space lately."

Serah chewed on her lip and gathered her books. "I can go if it's an issue."

"It's not." Tifa moved to watch Denzel work. "What's going on with you, though?"

"Nothing." Denzel didn't take his eyes off his system.

Tifa heaved a sigh. "I'd love to know what you're thinking. Did something happen today at the shop?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Denzel shook his head and said nothing. Cloud disappeared into the kitchen for a moment and brought out a box of sweets, decorated after the manner of the southern villages. "Maybe these will help."

Denzel perked up and stared at the stuff like a chocobo in traffic.

"Yes, please." Tifa was the first to break into them. "What about you, Serah? Anything to report from Midgar's ruins?"

"The strange voices weren't lying." Serah fiddled with the book Marlene left behind. "I saw…  _something_ over there. Not spirits, but maybe monsters that have taken up residence in the ruins. I'd avoid the place in the future, I think."

Cloud took a bite of the sweets – they looked like filled, bready bites. "The dark offered by the collapsed buildings would be appealing to many creatures. It's prime real estate that they've found."

Denzel gave in and snuck some of the treats, then inhaled them faster than Serah had ever seen.

"It was only a matter of time." Tifa swallowed another bite. "It's kind of sad, but I guess we couldn't expect to hold onto the place for long."

Cloud took on a regretful expression. "There's still mountains to salvage – we could build without creating more metal for years if we got everything out of there."

"But that's just not feasible, is it?" Tifa pushed the sweets toward Serah. "Don't you want some?"

Serah looked at the small, sculpted bread and shook her head. "I ate a little too much before coming, but thanks."

"Suit yourself." Tifa took another. "Oh, well. I guess it's about time those in Midgar found some peace, anyway. The Lifestream will do as it pleases around there and… I don't know. Nature and all that."

"It's still quite pretty." Serah thought of the church's gushing water. "I wish it wasn't in such a state."

Tifa gave a wry chuckle. "Isn't that the way for everything else in our lives?"

They went on talking for a bit and eventually Denzel left his project to go upstairs as well. Serah basked in the opportunity to talk about normal things with these people – sometimes she forgot what normal felt like when she remembered two lifetimes.

Eventually Serah waved goodbye and stepped down the porch with only her books left in hand. Marlene would certainly find something artistic to do with those old materia. She could only hope the girl would involve Denzel and the two would get over whatever was going on with both of them.

She pushed that thought aside and marched her way down the street toward her home.

"This world is healthy," came Gabranth's rumbling voice. "Perhaps it's best I take my leave."

"No one's kicking you out." Serah turned a corner.

Only for a white-haired girl in a black school uniform to stop her in her tracks. "Serah Farron?"

Serah drew up short. "Yes?"

"I'm Sice." The girl held out a hand. "And I'm here to take you off this world."

* * *

Denzel sat at the kitchen table, trying to peel a piece of metal from his world representation back into place. The sphere was made entirely from wires and spare parts that he collected from the shop, who would have just thrown it out if he didn't take them home.

Aerith left him alone since the morning and he jotted down notes that he would need to collect from her next time she visited. Like why Cloud and Tifa weren't married, or how to add more white materia to his staff, or if dying hurt.

Denzel focused on getting the wire to bend into the right position. He would have to weld it again to keep it from popping out of position.

The clouds outside hid any light that would creep in by this time in the evening, and instead he used the ceiling fixtures to illuminate his workspace. The space smelled of bread, its yeasty presence made strong by the rolls and other small treats Cloud set out to rise before he took to preparing some icings and such things.

Denzel steeled himself against the instinct to work out a plan to sneak out the finished products later.

"How's it going?" asked Tifa as she sorted through their collection of drinks. "It's a pretty involved project, looks like."

Denzel pulled out pliers. "It'll take a while still to finish."

"Did we tell you about the planetarium we saw in Cosmo Canyon?"

Denzel shook his head.

"It was an amazing spectacle. Like we stood in space itself and could see… well. Nothingness. But it was a  _lot_  of nothingness, you know?"

"A massive void," said Cloud.

"I don't know if it was magic or technology, or if Bugenhagen just had some hardcore drugs pumped into the air, but it felt real. Saw the motion of the planets – do you have any idea how fast we're spinning right now?"

"Pretty fast," Denzel said.

"Holy Ramah, yes. But we don't feel it at all – I wonder how that is? Really, we try to understand gravity and the workings of the planet, but it feels like we'll never catch up. We know some of the science, but we keep finding out more and more every year and sometimes it undoes our progress before it helps. What's up with that?"

"It's fascinating." Cloud mixed some sugar and spices together with milk. "I'd love to know what lies on those other worlds."

Denzel frowned and leaned back to inspect his system. Gaia "hovered" toward the center, held up as it was by a thin rod, but it was dwarfed by the other planets. They didn't know a whole lot about those planets, but they certainly looked nothing like their own. Denzel wondered if anything could live in such different conditions.

"It's kinda scary, though, isn't it?" Tifa pulled out a wine bottle and brushed it off with a cloth. "They're so mysterious, and it's hard to get any information on them. What if they house some deadly monsters?"

"Bugenhagen didn't seem to think they did."

"Would he know?"

Denzel adjusted the stem of the farthest, smallest planet from the sun. He wondered if it was big enough to be anything more than a rock spinning out there.

"Who's Bugenhagen?" asked Marlene. She stood in the doorway and looked at them with curious eyes.

Tifa consolidated two bottles of whiskey. "A wise elder from Cosmo Canyon. Barret didn't tell you about him?"

"No." Marlene hopped into a seat beside Denzel. "Why?"

"He had a cool planetarium," Denzel said.

"Really?" Marlene looked at Cloud and Tifa. "Can we go there?"

Cloud drew himself to his full height and brushed his hands off each other. "That's a good question."

"Maybe." Tifa capped the whiskey and set it aside. "After the school term ends and you've both passed all your tests." She turned to Cloud. "Couldn't hurt to get an update on his progress, either."

"Barret would know where he is."

Marlene went still at the mention and Denzel's insides clenched. Tifa and Cloud didn't appear to think much of it as they went on about their former adventures like it was something nostalgic to them.

When he thought about spending time outside Midgar and Edge, he could only think of living out of a tent in the outskirts. It sounded so boring to him, yet their stories never seemed to end.

Marlene looked at the table. "Can you ask Daddy to visit?"

Tifa and Cloud stopped short. "But he was just here," Tifa said. "Do you have something you want to ask him? We can put him on the phone-"

"I don't wanna talk to him on the phone. I wanna talk to  _him_."

"I'll ask." Cloud pulled out his cell. "But he might be too far away."

Tifa looked at Cloud in a way that Denzel knew meant she couldn't say something in front of them.

A faint tone sounded from Cloud's phone, and Denzel stared at the wires crisscrossing about the system he'd created. They looked chaotic and uneven to him now and the idea of finishing left a sour taste in his mouth.

The tone continued for a bit until Barret's voice took over. Denzel glanced up, hopeful, only for Cloud to shut it closed and say, "Voicemail."

"So, we'll catch him later." Tifa gave Marlene a smile. "I'm sure he's just busy."

"He's  _always_ busy." Marlene stuck out her arms on the table and dropped her head to rest with them. "He doesn't love me anymore."

Denzel tried repeating what Aerith told him, "Maybe he just has trouble showing it-"

"He doesn't!" Marlene hit the table with her fists and it rattled. "My papa's never hid his feelings from me!"

Denzel quieted, arms suddenly heavy at his sides.

"If he won't even answer the phone, then how could he care about me?" Marlene jumped from her seat. "I may as well die!"

Tifa took Marlene by the wrist. "It's not as bad as all that and you know it."

Marlene wriggled to get free. "It is! I know my daddy!"

Denzel left his structure and retreated from the room. Behind him, Marlene kept yelling about being ignored and unloved.

He stopped in the entryway and struggled to swallow. Heart raced, blood pounded in his ears. Took his pipe from its position against the wall, but it felt like nothing more than a hunk of lead in his hand.

"Why isn't  _he here_?!"

A crushing weight settled over his chest. He looked toward the door.

" _No_!"

Looked toward the kitchen, where Tifa worked to calm Marlene. Cloud leaned against the counter, brows knit together.

Denzel forced one leg forward, though it felt like moving one of those heavy and ruined parts in the shop.

"Don't touch me!"

He turned to see Marlene fight Tifa and squirm away from her hold.

The door. Denzel put another step forward. It was so close.

A sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and anticipation made his heart pound harder. He reached the door handle. Turned the knob.

It squeaked, but no one showed any signs of noticing.

The door cracked open, and Denzel slipped through the smallest exit he could manage before gently shutting it behind him. Even outside, he could hear Marlene's screams of frustration.

Standing at the top of the stairs leading out back, Denzel forced himself to swallow. The sun was warm on his skin, but a cold wind raised goosebumps along his arms. He took a breath and ran down the stairs.

And through the streets of Edge where people passed him in a blur.

Denzel blinked tears out of his eyes and kept moving. His legs burned beneath him, and his sides throbbed. Every breath hurt. He kept moving.

"And where are  _you_  going?" Aerith's translucent form coalesced beside him.

He ignored her. Passed by official buildings, friends' houses, post offices, grocers, florists, antique traders, loan brokers…

"Denzel, please stop!"

He grit his teeth against the pain in his chest. Kept running.

"Okay." Aerith stilled beside him. "I'll just stay with you for now."

His surroundings grew dirty and unkempt as he moved, and Denzel finally slowed to a walk. Doing so reignited the burn in his lungs and he doubled over in a coughing fit. His ears throbbed, and his legs felt like noodles.

"Interesting place." Aerith circled about him. "I haven't been here much."

Denzel gulped down a breath and looked up. Rundown buildings surrounded them, and the pedestrians mostly wore worn and ragged clothing. Many cast him hungry looks and the ground was littered with trash. A man in a tattered, brown-grey-ish coat passed him by, followed by a one in dark cloth with hair like Cloud's and freckles across his face. Both wore notably clean and crisp, checkered patterns on pieces of clothing.

Denzel straightened, still panting and coughing.

"Hey, there." The man with the freckles stopped to lean down and take Denzel's shoulder. "You doin' okay, buddy?"

"He would make for a suitable vessel," said the other man.

"Denzel, get out!" Aerith's presence flared in strength and he felt the overwhelming urge to run.

He did so.

Aerith faded away from him, but he didn't look back. He bolted through alleys and under towering buildings until he felt like he couldn't move another step and he finally slowed to a stop. Glanced about him to find more strangers milling about.

Eventually Aerith popped back into existence. "Geez, that was a close one. Wait, is this the slums?"

Denzel cast a wary look about them. His lungs burned, and his throat hurt, and he gulped down breaths to try and assuage the pain.

One large man passed with red clothes and a painted face. Denzel thought that had to be the strangest fashion he'd ever seen, yet people kept staring at  _him_ like they'd never seen someone like him before. And… he  _knew_  those looks.

"Let's find somewhere else, okay?" Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder. "This place-"

A presence behind him.

Denzel spun and struck where the legs should be. Only to hit nothing.

He scrambled back to find a man in a fine suit kneel to his level and take him by the shoulders.

"Hey. Hey." His voice was a soft baritone. "Look at me. Shh." Black hair, slicked back to show dark, almond eyes. He smelled like tropical fruit.

"Tseng," whispered Aerith. "Oh, Tseng. What happened to you?"

Denzel tried to pull away, but the man held firm. "Let me go."

"I think not." The man touched Denzel's chin and forced him to look up into those dark eyes and notice a white sliver running across his forehead. Something about him didn't feel as… slimy as these other people. "You're Cloud's kid, aren't you?"

"… Why?"

"Sweet Mother." The man stood. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere safe."

"I'm not going home."

"No, I'd say not. I'll take you to my base instead."

Denzel frowned and look behind him before he reluctantly followed. Aerith whispered something about returning and her presence vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

"… And that's where we stand at the moment." Sice sighed. "Better get moving – it's about time we got you back to Valhalla."

"Well." Serah blinked. Snow and Lightning already together and Vanille on the way? "That sounds… easy."

"Don't get me started." Sice held up a hand. "I wish it was."

Serah grinned. "But it's not as hard as I thought! How long until I see them? When do…" She felt a wave of nausea and cleared her throat. "Um."

Sice blinked. "Wait. Oh, you  _nuisance._ "

Serah wobbled on her feet and another presence revived her strength. Took over.

"She's not going." She meant to look around for the source of the voice, but couldn't move her head. "It's time your meddling ended."

… The voice was  _hers_.

Serah screamed, but no sound emerged. Sice stood before her, and the world appeared as it should, yet she couldn't move any of her limbs and Gabranth dictated her speech.

"Oh?" Sice raised an eyebrow. "You're one to talk, possessing people against their will. How did you even get inside this one? Ordained vessels aren't exactly easy, are they?"

"Would you know?" She thought she caught a glimpse of eternity.

Sice bounced her head back and forth in thought. "Actually, I have no idea. But the gods have Their plans, and we're smart enough to not mess around with that."

"The gods." It sent a shiver down her spine to hear her voice repeat words that Gabranth would use. "Yet you serve the ones that would take over this cosmos for themselves?"

"Mwynn doesn't want to rule." Sice placed a hand on her hip. "She's  _dead_. All She wants is to get her Power divided up and bestowed where it'll do some good. Hell, we're trying to take Bhunivelze while we're at it – isn't He the one you don't want running around?"

Image of a  _massive_ crystalized being, shadowed in darkness and the void. Merged as they were like this, Serah could see into the Other mind. "Yet we know not what you would seek with that same power. I would betray my own conscience to keep it out of the wrong hands."

"We're the  _only_ hands, you idiot! If it doesn't go to it, it scatters across existence and chaos takes over! Do you want beings like Cosmos and Chaos to multiply and repeat their shenanigans forever?"

"It's a trifling comparison between them and the Light. Bhunivelze would destroy all for His own purposes and ignorance."

"But we're  _not working for him_! King, help me out here!"

Serah moved without thinking. Gabranth thought to  _stop_  and she stepped forward with power coalescing in her hands. Power that wasn't magic, but a mist that breathed through her lungs.

It came up dry and Sice whipped about faster than Serah could process. She pummeled Serah in the stomach and sent her crashing against the concrete. It tore at her arm, but otherwise she noticed no damage.

"I'm not here to cause trouble! Jeez!" Sice threw her head back. "I swear you all gave me the hardest job."

Serah struggled to her feet and inwardly cursed at the unfamiliarity with this vessel. If she could remember her old strength, bring up her weapons…

Screamed again.

Gabranth relinquished control and Serah took it back.

But not without glimpsing a torn body on the blood-stained wood floor and feeling like something tore straight from her chest. Explosion of green against the black of space.

She doubled over and her vision pulsed in and out for a second.

"See what I said about that possession nonsense? It's not good, especially not for the vessel."

"Gabranth knows what he's doing." Serah squinted her eyes shut. "And I'm less fragile than the average human. I think? Ah, this hurts my head. I need to lay down."

_Apologies. You're still human, and thus the effects leave their mark._

"Serah!"

Tifa ran their way. Sice swore to herself and turned away.

"Denzel is…" Tifa huffed for breath. "He's gone. He didn't follow you or anything, did he?"

Gabranth's presence seized up and Serah caught his worry. "Did you check his work?"

"Yeah." Tifa shuddered and gripped her knees. "Cloud went to the auto shop first, but there's no sign of him."

"Well," said Sice. "Ain't that timing just a bitch."

Serah squared her shoulders and looked at Sice. "I'll get this taken care of and then I'll go with you."

"Works for me."

Tifa heaved herself upright. "Serah, we've already checked the most obvious places, and time matters in cases like this. I'm asking you to use your time power to find him."

Serah drew up short. "Is that a good idea? After last time-"

"You're in control, now, aren't you?" Tifa glanced between them. "Isn't this different from before?"

"I guess, but…"

"If you're worried about it," Sice said, "then I don't see why. It may not be as familiar to you as fire and water and stuff, but it's still within your control. It's still like any other element."

"I don't like it." Serah shook her head. "What if I instead trap Denzel in a loop? Or Marlene? Cloud?  _You're_  immune now, but no one else is."

"I am." Sice nudged her. "I can babysit you if you're so freaked out."

Serah opened her mouth to object again, but Tifa took her by the shoulders. "I'm sure it's nothing," the other woman said, "but it would make me feel a lot better if you tried."

Serah swallowed. "Okay. But let's get back inside. I'd rather not work in front of strangers."

"Fair enough."

Sice and Serah followed Tifa back to the house and Gabranth finally returned to her. His presence wavered and Serah felt a distant worry gnaw at her, one she didn't feel was hers.

Gabranth was worried. Repeatedly echoed,  _Bring him home_.

* * *

The place that Tseng, as Aerith called him, took Denzel to turned out to be a modest home not three blocks away. Aerith kept very close, but also very quiet. She said little to nothing on their trip here and kept her eyes on Tseng.

And there was a sleek, new model of a bike outside with custom plates and exhaust pipes. "Is that a SHIN-7-13?"

"I wouldn't know."

Denzel held his breath as Tseng opened the door to reveal-

… -A normal-looking house.

They stepped into the entryway, marked with a block of tiled floor that turned to a carpet hallway with a few feet, and a staircase greeted them to the left. It didn't look his old home in Sector 7, but with some organizing of clutter and the touch of homely things, he could see it turning into something nicer.

The fallen sun cast long shadows across the floor and left a darkness about the place that dispelled with a switch of the light by Tseng.

"You're back early," came a deep-ish, smooth voice. Denzel jumped.

A man dressed almost entirely in white and holding a glass of golden liquid emerged from a side room. Tseng gave a small, quick bow. "Found something on the street you might be interested in."

"Rufus Shinra," whispered Aerith.

Shinra lowered his eyes to Denzel and squinted. "A stray child?"

"Cloud's."

"… Oh." The white man gripped his temples. "Well."

"I thought the same." Tseng guided Denzel further inside and they entered a cluttered living room. "Slum area."

"And you didn't think to take him home?"

"He won't go."

Shinra went quiet again. Denzel wondered if he was the same as the president of the fallen company.

"Then we have a problem, don't we?" Shinra pulled out a phone. "I'll call Cloud."

"No!" Denzel took a step forward. "I mean, please don't!"

Shinra cast him a surprised look and traded another glance with Tseng. Aerith moved about them and inspected the two up close. Denzel swallowed and that pressure returned to his chest.

"We'd best listen to him for now," said Tseng. "At his age, it's hard to tell why they do such things."

"And it would be better to hold him here than return him to his parents who know such things better than we do?"

"Yes. If nothing else, we can use him in the meantime."

"I'm surprised at you, Tseng." Shinra pocketed his phone. "But I trust your judgement."

"Idiots," muttered Aerith, floating back Denzel's way. "I'll keep close, okay? You'll be safe with Tseng for now. Physically." She vanished in a wisp of light and Denzel sucked in a breath at the tingling sensation left by her disappearance.

"Let's not wait here all day." Tseng gestured toward the stairs. Shinra waved a hand and disappeared back into his room. "Best find you a place to sleep for tonight."

Denzel hesitated, a chill overtaking him at the sight of the level above them. No lights showed past the door and more shadows spilled down the stairs.

Tseng climbed a few steps before he paused and looked back. He said nothing. The house was dead silent, without a single motor or ventilation system to provide white noise. Denzel never thought he would miss that about Seventh Heaven.

He licked his dry lips and took slow steps after Tseng.

They entered a dark hallway, untouched by windows thanks to closed doors all around them, and Tseng opened one room and hit the light to reveal a room full of dangling wires, scattered beams of metal, and various electronic components like motors and exposed… were those CPUs? To the side sat a small couch.

Tseng left the room for a moment and returned with a pillow and blanket. "This should do the job, I think."

Denzel watched him prepare the couch as a makeshift bed. "… Thanks."

"This is temporary." Tseng straightened and looked him dead on. "We're not your family."

A loud crash sounded downstairs and Tseng shot his head up. Voices clamored in the entryway.

Denzel's blood ran cold. "Who's that?"

"A problem." Tseng stepped to the doorframe and leaned out. The ruckus continued and footsteps pounded further inside. "Wait here."

Denzel couldn't help a tremor in his neck and arms. He took shaky steps toward the door as Tseng calmly descended the stairs.

"You took a while," Tseng said. Denzel didn't see who he was talking to.

"Rude couldn't make up his mind!" whined a man. "We got stuck in traffic thanks to his indecision, and-"

"No excuses."

Denzel snuck a few steps downstairs and risked a peek into the room. Three people joined Tseng, one blonde lady, a large, bald man, and a red-haired skinny one.

"Elena," came a distant voice, "Rude, and Reno."

"Oh?" Elena turned his way. "What's this? He's quiet."

"Who's-?" Reno followed her gaze and jumped back. "Ah! It's a kid! What's that doing here?"

Shinra came out and gave them an irritated glance. "Please keep it down, I'm working in here."

"Can we keep him?" Elena asked, turning to Shinra. "Please, say yes!"

"He isn't ours to keep." Shinra flipped out a communicator. "He's Cloud's."

"But Cloud lost him, looks like! Finders, keepers!"

"It doesn't work like that, Elena. Reno, the Corneo boss has confirmed a meeting for tomorrow?"

Reno threw his head back and moved to the cupboards. "Not him again! Hate that guy – he's too slimy, even for my tastes."

"We need his money." Shinra kept his eyes on the phone. "He doesn't want any police or officials involved, of course. In fact, he wants you completely alone, no backup. If that's a problem-"

Reno popped some pills in his mouth and moved to take a seat in the living room. "No worries, man. He's an easy one to manipulate, at least."

"Have you eaten?" Tseng turned to Denzel.

"Uh…" Denzel clutched his pole closer. "Not since… this morning. I think."

"Do we have enough?" Elena turned to Reno. "How much did we get?"

"Plenty," said Rude, holding up two bags. "He's too small to make a difference."

"But you got specific meals," said Tseng. "Someone will have to share."

Quiet. They all looked at each other before Elena put up a hand. "I got extra."

"How about we all sacrifice a piece off our meal?" Shinra didn't look up from his phone. "It would be much more efficient, and the kid will still get enough to eat without you all going hungry."

"Oh, fine." Reno groaned. "But only half of a sandwich from me!"

Next thing Denzel knew, he was sitting on a box by their cluttered table and facing a plate made up of one part Wutai-style fried noodles, half an egg-and-ham sandwich, a couple bites' worth of salad, a spoonful of rice, and various other items and vegetables and sauced things he couldn't identify.

"Miss Elena, could you pass the salt?" he asked.

She grinned and did so. "Of course!" Then looked at Tseng. "You told him our names already? I didn't know you cared!"

Tseng narrowed his eyes at Denzel. "I didn't."

Denzel froze, salt shaker still in his hand.

"Cloud maybe told him?" Elena offered.

Denzel bit his lip. "Aerith did."

"You knew Aerith?" asked Reno, skeptic.

Denzel looked to where she would normally stand beside him. "No. She just talks to me sometimes."

Reno froze, sandwich halfway to his mouth. "She what?"

"That's not good," Elena whispered to Tseng.

Denzel felt safe enough to put his pole down, but kept it within reach just in case.

Shinra didn't seem to register he had food nearby – instead he focused on his phone with a serious face. "Hallucinations aren't uncommon for Geostigma survivors."

"Hallucinations, no." Reno scarfed down his sandwich and leaned back. "But this one taught him Elena's name."

"And yours, Reno." Denzel picked up his half-a-sandwich. "And Rude. Rufus Shinra. Tseng was good friends with her."

Shinra looked up from his phone and blinked. "Well, now. That  _is_  a problem."

"Why?"

"People aren't supposed to be talking to the dead like that," said Reno with a wave of his hand. "Might mean some nasty things."

"Like what?"

"Possession." Rude leaned over his salad. "Haunting."

"The Lifestream's caused problems before." Reno shook his head. "Is this the Geostigma, round two?"

Elena took a bite of her noodle-dish. "Or Cloud and Tifa gave our names and that fed the hallucination?"

Shinra set his phone down. "We'll not worry about it for now. File it with items to report to his parents."

"Anything else from our contacts?" asked Tseng.

Reno leaned his chair back on its hind legs. "A lot of them got quiet after the power shift in the East Corner. We should account for changes in allegiance and all that junk, watch out for moles."

Shinra went quiet for a moment. "I've exchanged correspondence with some of our contacts in the Garden and they've given differing stories."

Elena swore and Rude set down his fork.

Denzel looked between them. "What are you trying to do?"

Reno started, "Just taking over-"

"It's a work in progress." Shinra stood, his food untouched. "Nothing for you to worry about."

Reno frowned and stretched. "Welp. Are we taking your food, then?"

Shinra waved a hand. "I care not." Then blinked. "That is to say, I'm not hungry." He didn't leave.

Denzel pulled out his phone to see the time. A couple of hours had passed since he left the Strifes.

"Gimme that." Reno snatched the phone before Denzel could protest. "Kind of a dinky little thing isn't it?"

"Hey!"

"Take a look, man." Reno tossed the phone to Rude, who caught it with ease. Denzel let out a breath of relief, though he tried to tell himself he didn't care. Not like he'd be calling the Strife residence any time soon, after all. "Think you could do something with that?" Reno asked.

Rude hummed, a low and dangerous sound. "Easily. The materia is a nice touch."

"There we go." Reno draped his arms behind his chair. "We'll get you connected in no time."

"Connected to what?" asked Elena.

"To us. Best resource he could have if he's gonna go wandering about such sketchy places. And he has to pay us back for food, doesn't he? May as well use some precautions. Hey, how about he deals with the Don for me?"

Rude stood and took Denzel's staff.

"Wait," Denzel blurted, "what're you doing with that?"

"Adding some features." Rude left with both the phone and staff in hand.

Denzel swallowed and turned to Tseng. "What's he gonna do?"

Tseng looked between him and where Rude left. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"I would." Elena turned back to her food. "What if he sticks a bomb in a melee weapon?"

Reno leaned his chair back, using one foot on the table to keep himself from tipping. "Rude's not that stupid."

"He did it to my dagger once."

"You throw that thing. It's not melee."

"Not  _always_." Elena shot him a glare. "I might not have thrown it and instead gotten my hand and face blown off."

"I'm sure he knew."

"You said you had a job for me?" Denzel asked. "That I could work for you guys?"

Reno perked up and leveled his chair. "Yeah. You up to it?"

Denzel nodded.

"Are you sure about that?" Shinra asked, still standing. "The Don may not be the best starting point."

Reno took Shinra's plate. "We'll train him first. Do some smaller errands, build it up, you know."

"You really want to do this?" Shinra asked, directing his attention to Denzel. "Our line of work isn't much suited for children."

"I do." Denzel clenched his fingers over his lap. "I want to do things. I want to help."

Shinra glanced at Reno with something hard in his eyes. "Only gopher jobs. Nothing serious."

"Wouldn't exactly be effective." Reno shrugged and gestured toward Denzel. "We'd only irritate people if we sent him to do hit jobs. Also fry our own hides."

"Good." Shinra looked between them. "I'll be in my office. No one disturb me."

"But!" Elena leaned in. "It wouldn't be  _quite_ so insulting if we trained him to be  _good_."

"You mean make him a bada-"

Elena snatched Reno by the hair and he yelped. "Watch your language!"

"How should I start?" Denzel swallowed hard. "Do I need to-"

"Just leave it to us, kid!" Reno wrestled free of Elena's grip and yanked Denzel's chair out from under him. Reno ignored Denzel's shout of surprise. "Let's get you started with some basic techniques."

"Like strangulation!" Elena punched her open palm. "That should be an easy one for someone your size! Oh, this is gonna keep me awake for once!"

Denzel found no time to protest before Reno came barreling at him.


	5. Chapter 5

Serah sat in the Strifes' kitchen and sort of listened as Cloud updated Tifa on his search about the perimeter. Sice sat beside her, fiddling with some gadget she'd brought along, and Marlene apparently hadn't left her room since Denzel disappeared the other day.

Serah didn't know how much she ate during that time.

Sound swam in Serah's ears and she curled in on herself. She felt the flow of time at her fingers, like something she could reach out and tug at, but she'd trained herself to see it as untouchable. She couldn't afford to meddle with a force capable of trapping a soul in a never-ending loop.

She thought of Denzel. Reached out with her mind, unstable as it felt, and took hold of that flow.

Movement around her slowed. Sice kept up her fiddling, but Cloud froze. Or… he slowed down dramatically. Tifa blinked and looked at Serah.

Serah released the spell and Cloud grimaced before bending over and placing a hand to his temple.

"You alright?" Tifa asked.

Cloud took a moment to respond. "… Just some vertigo."

"That's my bad." Serah pulled her knees closer.

"It's progress." Tifa leaned against the counter. "But can you use it for longer?"

"I'll try." Serah focused and pulled at the flow again. Cloud moved in and out of slow motion and Tifa cast him a worried glance.

"Why is he the only one affected?" asked Serah when she cut it short and Cloud doubled over the counter with a pointed groan.

Sice looked between them, expression bored. "You said you caught Tifa in a loop, didn't you? Connect the dots."

"But what about you?"

"I'm basically a god so those rules don't apply – not the way you're using it now, at least."

"If we could take a break with the practice," said Cloud with a grimace, "I need to think."

Sice looked at Serah with an  _I told you so_  face. Serah sent her a confused one back.

The phone rang and Tifa jumped to get it.

"We should check in with the department," Cloud said with folded arms and a downcast expression. "It can take time for these things to be processed and they might find something before we do."

"I can do that." Serah stood. "What information do I need?"

"Just name, birthdate, and all that." Cloud looked to Tifa, who argued with the voice on the other end. "Maybe identification."

Serah blinked and Tifa gripped her forehead. "What is-?"

"The  _hell_ you're not!" Tifa spun on her heel and about ripped the phone from the wall. "Do you have  _any_ idea how fried you are for not telling me?!"

Cloud cast her a concerned look and Sice whistled. "Finally getting interesting in here," she said. "Maybe I'll stick around after all."

Tifa slammed a button and held out the phone toward them. "Say hello, Reno."

"Hey, Cloud!" came a man's voice from the other end. "I swear I was just updating Tifa on the status of your kid, but you'd think I just killed a man!"

"… Reno."

"What kind of parent are you, allowing this kid to wander about like that with only a phone?"

Cloud furrowed his brow. "Only a phone?"

"He has a pole, too," Tifa said through tight lips. "But Reno doesn't think about that kind of thing, does he? He just picks kids up and doesn't tell people even though he's worrying his parents  _sick_!"

"Hey, no need to get unprofessional here!" The other end sighed. "I'm just saying you guys might want to train your kids better. He didn't even know how to manage physical stress under pressure. How do you expect him to survive any kind of interrogation? Doing you a favor here, but you'd never know it going by the way you're acting."

"Coordinates," Tifa hissed. "Now."

"Yeah, babe, I hate to tell you, but it's not that simple. Hey, how about we give you a week?"

" _How_  is it-?"

"Look, we're working with him, okay? He's kinda freaked out right now – honestly, I don't think he could even handling the coordination of arranging a mission – but we're working to fix that. Rufus thinks we can get him to talk out some of his issues by the end of the week, but it's gonna take some time."

Tifa took a measured breath and closed her eyes. "Coordinates. Now."

"You're hilarious, Tifa. Hey, Cloud, you'll be glad to hear we fixed his weapon, too. I guess you all are too poor or something to get him something proper, so we did that for you. You're welcome."

Cloud blinked. "Thanks, I guess."

Tifa shook her head. "I've had it up to here, Reno. Tell us where you're keeping him, and I won't smash all your fingers."

"Aw, Tifa, I didn't know you cared. But seriously, I don't know if he should…"

Serah looked at Sice while the argument continued, only to find Sice dozing off with her cheek rested against her propped palm. "I thought you were a god?"

Sice didn't open her eyes. "Almost."

"You still need to sleep?"

"No. But I like to anyway."

Serah frowned. "Sounds convenient."

"Not really."

"Finally!" Tifa hung up the phone and moved toward the door. "Serah, you're watching Marlene and not letting her leave, got it?"

"Yup." Serah pursed her lips. "What did they say?"

No response came before the door slammed shut behind the two and Sice and Serah were left to themselves in the kitchen.

"I don't know about you-" Sice stood- "but I'm gonna find something to eat. Helps me focus."

"Oh, but I don't know that-"

Sice grabbed a loaf of bread and ripped off a chunk to bite into.

Serah sighed. "Who am I to stop you?"

"Hey." Sice waved the chunk in the air. "Are you gonna practice your magic or what? It'll make me look better when I get back if you know what you're doing."

Serah hesitated, then nodded and felt out for that flow of time.

* * *

Denzel stood before a bar that looked way different from what he was familiar with in Seventh Heaven. Its sign was bright pink and the door was sleek and black. He'd never seen any eating place with this kind of design, but he supposed some places had different themes and stuff than Seventh Heaven.

Tseng and the others told him to call if he had an issue, and Denzel fingered the phone in his pocket at the thought. It would be his best bet for a quick rescue, though of course he brought his pole just in case. The one that Rude changed to include some sort of tiny pipes along the ends and a button in the center.

His training from Reno remained fresh in his mind. Easiest thing to do if someone attacked him was to climb on them and get an arm around their throat. Once he could do that, he could take them out with ease.

Or so they told him.

Denzel forced down a deep breath and knocked on the door. No response came at first and he looked about him in hopes of finding someone he could talk to and ensure this was the right place. But the alley remained abandoned.

Forced another breath and knocked again.

No response.

Denzel pushed the door open and was met with booming music and a dark hallway that gave way to pink, fluorescent lights and a bunch of adults bouncing around and waving their heads.

He blinked. He'd never heard of a bar with people dancing in it.

"What do you want, kid?" asked a man leaning against the wall. "This is an adult establishment."

Denzel swallowed. "I-… I want to speak with 'the boss?'"

The guy barked a laugh. "What for, huh? Want him to sign your building blocks?"

Heat rose in his face and Denzel cleared his throat. "I bring a message from Reno of the Turks."

The guy quieted and studied Denzel for a moment. "Reno, huh? He must be pretty desperate to resort to such cheap messengers."

Denzel blinked, unsure what the guy meant. "He's not just lazy?"

Another laugh. "Yeah, kid. That also sounds about right. Come on – I'll take you to the boss."

Denzel followed the guy through crowds of people dressed in… not much. Especially the girls. He hadn't seen anyone wearing a swimsuit in a long time, but the style must have changed a lot, because those looked really different and-

"Kid!" barked a nasally man. Denzel turned to find a fat and almost-bald, man in a red coat. "A little young to be gawking at the ladies, aren't you?"

Denzel squeaked and rushed over.

"He says he carries a message from Reno," said the guy from before.

" _He_ does?" The fat man jabbed a finger Denzel's way. "What is he, an offering? I can sell him for work, maybe, but he's getting kind of old for any other business. He doesn't have any identification or anything on him, does he? That'll make my life kind of a hassle, and I'll tell that red-haired twit what I think of hassles."

Denzel cleared his throat and lifted his chin. "He wanted to say-"

"Oh, hush, now." The fat man gestured for Denzel to come closer. "Let me look at you."

Despite the sickly feeling that settled in his stomach, Denzel took another step closer. The man narrowed his beady eyes and looked Denzel up and down, left to right. "Turn around, kid."

"What?" Denzel blinked and took an involuntary step back. Aerith appeared in a burst of mist and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you think, El?" The man stroked his chin. "I suppose we could turn him into our gopher. Sell him for work."

"Or other things." The other guy approached Denzel and stuck a finger under his jaw, forcing him to look up into the guy's pointed and harsh features. "He's got a good face – might hold a couple more years of good money on him."

Denzel's hands felt clammy and gripped the phone in his pocket like it was the only anchor he had to safety. If he could just contact Tseng and the others…

Aerith tightened her grip on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Rude knew what he was doing."

Denzel swallowed. What did his phone have to do with this?

"We can deal with it later." The fat man leaned back and swept at the streak of yellow hair that was the only thing besides a tattoo to occupy his shiny head. "What's your name, kid?"

"Denzel." He wrenched away from the other guy and looked the fat man in the eye despite the tremor in his knees. "And Reno sends a message."

"He…" The fat man leaned forward. "… Sends a message, now? To compliment his scrawny gift?"

"No." Denzel steeled himself and Aerith's presence felt closer. "He wanted to tell you that you'll be trading as usual at the end of the quarter, against your recent request, and that he's displeased with your impatience."

"With my  _impatience_?" The fat man stood and it took all that Denzel had not to scramble backward. "And he couldn't say that to my face?"

"He didn't need to." Denzel found himself surprised to hear the words leave his mouth. He didn't feel Aerith's hand on his shoulder, but he could swear she stood just behind him. "Even his errand boy doesn't require as much management as you do."

"Does he realize that he's failed?" The fat man leaned back again, but his hand worked viciously at his chin. "Does he have any idea what I've done to keep myself going after the fall of Midgar? That him and his friends have returned to dust and I'm the only one keeping them safe from the ravening wolves of the lower class?"

"I can't say, sir," said the other guy.

"Just as well." The fat man took a breath that rattled his nose and worked his jaw as if to chew on something. "He should realize that just because  _he_ pushed that button to drop Sector 7, he doesn't hold any more status than the rest of us!"

Aerith took to his side again and that strength left him. The tremor returned to his knees and the room swam in his eyes.

"At least I had the mind to protect my assets. The underground is mine, El, and no one's going to pretend it isn't."

Denzel remained frozen to the spot and the image of his original parents flashed through his mind. "Reno pushed the button?"

"Oh, yes!" The fat man leaned forward. "Shinra left it to their best men, the Turks, and among those only one person pressed the button. That redheaded bastard's got a reputation for a reason and half the underground wants to work for him for that reason. How would you not know that, working for him?"

"No, I-…" Denzel shook all over, but he didn't feel cold. "I didn't know."

"Either way, an example must be made." The fat man pointed at Denzel and looked back to his goon. "Should we send them a finger or a toe? I'm leaning toward a toe – might take a little longer for them to realize who it is."

"I have to go." Denzel turned, only for strong hands to take him by the shoulder and spin him back around.

"Why in such a hurry?" The fat man rose from his chair. By this point, a lot of the dancing had stopped and dozens of eyes looked their way. "No one leaves my place unsatisfied."

Denzel struggled against the hold and Aerith  _evaporated_. They wrenched his pole away and left only the phone in his pocket.

Moments flashed before his eyes, of dealing with rats in Triple S or fighting off the occasional starved hound. Before he found Ruvie, he didn't have to fend off any big men or kill anyone or any of that. It was just food and starving and wondering when he could eat again and sometimes hiding from those  _looks_  and-

"Do you hear dialing?" The fat man looked at Denzel and something dangerous glinted in his eye. "Do you have a  _phone_ , boy?"

Denzel opened his mouth to reply. And tipped over.

The world spun on its axis.

* * *

Cloud and Tifa left hours ago. Marlene still didn't come down from her room. Serah still sat in the kitchen. Gabranth was still quiet.

"Sice?"

The other girl laid on the couch and responded with a slurred, "Yeah."

"What do my dreams mean?"

"Your memories?"

"No." Serah licked dry lips. "I mean, I've been having dreams that feel almost as real as my memories, but I don't recall them happening. And sometimes they get really bad. What are they?"

"Eh. Probably just artifacts caused by the timeline distortions. Why don't you just leave, huh? You know these guys probably have this covered."

Gabranth's wordless worry for Denzel echoed in her head. "I… I want to be sure, first."

"Look." Sice sat up to face her full-on. "You may be better at this than Lightning or Snow were when we found them, but you're still shaky and I doubt it would make much of a difference for you to stay. You're making everyone sick with your sloppy spells and who knows what might happen from that?"

Serah frowned. "I won't make any mistakes like that."

"Won't you? We're losing the light on another day and we haven't made any progress on our own. Only the married couple-"

"They're not married."

"-The couple's gone off, but what have we done, huh? Why are we even here? At least you're not the same mess your sister was."

Serah glared her way. "What are you saying?"

"Never mind. King, could you get a location on the Strife's kid, Denzel?"

"Who are you talking to?"

"Are you kidding me? Fine." Sice folded her arms. "Useless. We'll stay for a little longer."

Serah chewed on her lip. "You can communicate with you mind?"

"Only with certain people in Valhalla."

"That's inconvenient." Serah fell back against the chair and groaned. "I hate waiting like this. It feels like that's all I ever do."

"Don't you know it."

The phone rang. Serah stood to answer it, but Sice took her hand and said, "Are you supposed to be picking it up for someone else?"

Serah blinked. "Don't you?"

Sice frowned and released her. "Not on my world."

The phone rang again and Serah picked it up. "Strife's residence."

On the other end came a cacophony of noise. Heavy breathing, distant shouting, and the static of something rustling against the speaker.

"Hello?" she repeated. Then looked at the number on the phone screen. "Denzel? Hey, Denzel!"

More shouting and noise.

Serah pulled the phone away and noticed a second number underneath the caller's. The last message the phone received. "Hey, Sice, do you know how to track coordinates?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Serah took a snapshot of the number and pressed the phone to her ear again. "Denzel?"

Still no response. Heart pounding, Serah set the phone down. Took a breath. And froze time.

Sice jumped to her feet. "There you go!"

Serah dashed up the stairs. "Marlene! Marlene, let's go!" She found the girl's room and forced the door open. "We know how to find Denzel!"

Marlene remained frozen in time, lying on her bed and staring into the distance beyond the bedroom's window.

Serah took her by the arm and Marlene gasped, color rushing to her face before she glanced up at Serah. "Miss Farron?"

"We need to get to the Turks." Serah picked her up. "We have Denzel's coordinates."

"Since when?"

"Since now!" Serah bounded down the stairs and Sice followed her out the door. "But none of us know how to follow coordinates!"

"I can!" Marlene scrambled out of Serah's hold and tried to keep up with them. "Cloud taught me!" Eventually Sice picked her up again.

Time ebbed here and there and Serah felt a cold sweat collect on her forehead. Her control over time slipped and it showed in the slow motion of passing pedestrians and those looking out the windows of their homes. Animals in the streets gradually shifted to look at them.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Sice told her. "It'll make you sick."

"I don't care about that." Serah retook her hold.

"Why are we the only ones moving?" asked Marlene. She watched those around them with a furrowed brow.

"Because I have super powers." Serah's grip slipped again and slow motion resumed. She struggled to retake it. For one long second, people moved as normal before she slowed it again.

Her stomach churned, and her heart skipped a beat. She struggled to breathe and every step burned her feet.

And froze time again.

"You're not perfect!" Sice reminded her. "Stop killing yourself so I can take you back alive!"

"You won't have to worry about that!" Serah fumbled with her grip again and forced time to slow.

When they reached the coordinates - the location of the Turks, half of them ran from the front door and half leaped from windows. Tifa and Cloud were nowhere to be seen.

Serah released time and just about barreled into the blond guy up front. "Wait, are you the Turks?"

They didn't slow down for her, but a lady with a lovely ponytail called after, "Depends on who's asking!"

Sice handed Marlene off to a tall and bald guy who raised no questions at the exchange.

"We're asking as friends of the Strifes!" Serah struggled to keep up with them – the last guy, this one with a striking figure and the reddest hair – grabbed a motorbike and it roared to life. "You know where Tifa and Cloud are?"

"They were just ahead of us!" replied the blond guy at the front before hopping onto Red's bike. "We'll catch up shortly!"

* * *

All Tifa had to do was take Cloud's hand and that allowed them both to keep running. Time sputtered in and out of slow motion and she could swear she saw a rabbit woman and some leather-clad man somewhere down the road.

Everything stopped again just before Tifa found the seedy club that Reno described.

She kicked down the front door and found a mostly-emptied club, with some stragglers still frozen in the act of rushing out a back door. A handful of burly men stood about the room and looked to be in the middle of a polite discussion, save for one of them that looked to the opposite wall with a pained expression.

The opposite side, where another man held Denzel against the bloodied wall.

Cloud moved faster than her – just as time resumed, he barreled into the man holding Denzel.

Tifa made for Don Corneo, who leapt to his feet at the sight of them. "What in the-?"

She screamed and planted a foot in his face, only for his henchmen to take her from behind.

The Don stumbled back, gripping his face, while she battled off a half-dozen men. "Wait – I think I know these guys!" he yelled.

Tifa flung one goon into another and sent them both careening through the room.

"How could I forget?" The Don strutted about his stage. "The trio from one of my last days in Midgar! Good times, good times. You know I was smart enough to back out then, right? The sector falling was just the right sign to-"

Tifa threw down the last man and redirected herself at the fat, yellow-haired,  _pig_.

"Now, now, I know you're hungry for more of the  _Don-_ "

Tifa drove her fist into his face and heard the satisfying  _crunch_  of his nose. Took the man by the collar of his suit and tossed him across the room.

Cloud, who fought off a half-dozen men himself, easily caught Corneo and slammed him into the ground.

Denzel scrambled back at the action, eyes wide with shock.

Cloud tossed Corneo back to Tifa and she threw him at the ceiling.

* * *

Serah and Sice followed behind Shinra, who directed with a flick of his finger for the rest of the Turks to surround the building. Rude dropped off Marlene before making for the back. Elena shimmied up to the roof like she'd been doing this all her life and Tseng followed after her. Reno disappeared around a side, like Rude.

"They're distracted inside," Shinra whispered to Serah as a blood-curdling scream tore their way. "We need that."

"I don't like this," said Marlene with a scowl.

Serah glanced her way, but watching the Turks move about the structure like insects was… mesmerizing. "Don't like what?"

"Being so close to this man." Marlene jabbed a finger Shinra's way. "He's  _bad_."

"Oh." Serah looked between them. Shinra didn't seem to notice they'd said anything, given his watching his men work. "Um…"

"Dang." Sice whistled. "She's got us there."

"I'm sure he's changed." Serah glanced at Sice for help, but the other girl just shook her head.

"Are you kidding?" Marlene took a step back. " _No one_ can change from that! He killed my friends!"

"She's right, Serah." Shinra still didn't look their way. "No one can change from that."

Serah opened her mouth to protest, but there was something to the tone of his voice that had her draw up short. "What's your purpose here?" she asked instead.

"To help Cloud." Shinra didn't look her way. "We owe him, after all."

"Not just Cloud!" Marlene stomped a foot. "You owe the  _whole world_! Don't you know that?"

"Consider this my first step."

"Hey." Sice gestured. "Serah, you coming? It's not like there's a whole lot for us to do here."

"No." Shinra took a breath and finally turned to face her. "You can leave the rest of this to us, I think. Go rest – it's getting late."

"It's not…" Serah looked up. The sky was only just turning purple. "… That late." She hesitated. Blood splattered the windows inside. Both Cloud and Tifa were still visible and fighting, though she wondered, "What about Denzel?"

Sice glanced inside. "He's fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Cloud and Tifa would be acting very differently if he wasn't."

Another splatter against the walls and a couple of bodies launched across the room. Serah pursed her lips. If she left now, she could see Snow again…

"Trust it to us." Shinra gestured to Marlene. "But you should take this one with you."

Marlene huffed and folded her arms. "I'm not going anywhere until Cloud and Tifa leave."

Serah looked between them. "I can't leave her."

Sice let out a loud groan and took Serah by the arm. "You're  _not responsible for this place_! Let's go!"

Snow's voice, normally so loud and confident, echoed in quiet, nervous tones, "…  _my one, my only…_ "

She felt bad that Gabranth must have left without her noticing. He would probably protest her trusting Sice and leaving. But… "I have a duty to fulfill, don't I?"

Sice tossed her head. "That goes without saying."

"It's time to go." Shinra jabbed a finger toward the setting sun. "Best skip the bloodiest part of this."

"Right." Serah looked Sice in the eyes. "I'll go, then. Can we just stop by my house so I can deal with Snowflake?"

"Fine!" Sice threw up her hands and sauntered off. "Geez, took long enough. But keep an eye out – this gate's been glitched out by those idiot world hoppers and there's a crap ton of monsters swarming the place."

"Wait-" Serah had to run to keep up- "how does a  _gate glitch out_?"

* * *

Marlene couldn't take her eyes off the white-coated man. Shinra twitched and stumbled about like the patrons of Seventh Heaven that Tifa kicked out sometimes. A bright, misty light broke through parts of his skin and sent crystal-like particles into the air. Blood dripped from his face and fingers.

He screamed, and Marlene startled and backpedaled. Almost hit the unconscious, green-coated man.

"Hey!" Aerith appeared in a burst of green light. "Not on our world, you degenerate!"

She summoned water that gushed forth from nothing and blasted Shinra with it.

Marlene gasped. "Sis?"

"Only sort of." Aerith didn't look her way. Instead, she closed in on Shinra and held him still with some invisible force. "This world is protected by the Lifestream Eternity and you have no right to set foot on its soil!"

Shinra fell to his knees. Then toppled over.

Aerith remained still for a moment.

Marlene took another step back. And hit someone else. She risked a glance to find the green-coated man standing behind. He didn't look at her – instead he focused on Aerith.

"Sis!" Marlene stepped away from the man.

Aerith snapped her head to see them. "Oh, no you don't! These innocents aren't yours to control!"

She whipped around and  _blasted_  the strange man.

The image of a white-robed man joined Aerith. "I knew it was the world-leaders."

"Shinra's no leader!" Aerith threw the strange man aside and trapped him with more watery-magic. "The company lost their hold years ago!"

"Not quite." The man wisped away and Shinra sucked in a deep breath.

Marlene glanced behind her, where Serah walked off. Why did she have to go now, of all times?

* * *

Cloud took on another three mooks. How many of these guys did Corneo  _employ_?

Denzel did remarkably well on his own – he kept to self-defense but managed to take out at least a couple of people with that backpack technique he kept using and used a surprising amount of white magic for his age.

Cloud wondered if that was something he'd have to thank the Turks for.

Tifa twisted about in a violent dance that led to the decapitation of one guy. He hoped Denzel didn't see that.

One lady came at him with all the grace and speed of a trained assassin. Cloud didn't doubt her to be Corneo's hidden trump card.

He took a hit to the stomach and stumbled back. The lady whirled, and he whipped up his sword to block. She slammed into it with all the force of a projectile.

Cloud spun and used the momentum with the flat of his blade to send her crashing into the other side of the room.

Tifa joined in and tackled the woman before she had a chance to recover from Cloud's hit.

"Cloud!"

He looked to find Denzel stumbling his way. Cure alight in those small hands and another guy on his tail.

Cloud beat back one of his offenders, but it wasn't fast enough. There was no way he could deal with these before-

A burst of green light filled the room and had most of the occupants rubbing at their eyes. It faded and revealed the faint, dark silhouette that Cloud  _knew_.

"Heya!" Zack struck a finger out.

One of the mooks recovered faster than the rest and leaped at Cloud again. Cloud beat him back with the blunt of his blade. "I thought you died?"

"Yeah, I kinda did." Zack looked around them while Cloud took out the third and Denzel struggled with his own. "Geez, bit of a mess you've got here, isn't it?"

Tifa retorted, "A little help would be appreciated!" before launching one guy into the far wall.

"Yeah, about that." Zack cocked his head to one side and Cloud moved to get that man off Denzel. "Girlfriend's just outside, doing what we came here to do. In the meantime, my hands are, you know, tied. Lots of dumb rules when you join the afterlife, apparently."

Cloud threw the last man off of him in time for Tifa to join in and kick their knees out.

"But good job!" Zack stuck one hand on his waist and the other in a thumbs-up. "I see you've got yourself well-handled here! I'd love to stay and cheer you on, but it looks like Aerith's got Bhunivelze running for the hills. They'll want me over there."

And just like that, he vanished again. Cloud couldn't help a pang of regret that he couldn't catch up with his old friend, though it was soon interrupted by a shout from Reno, "Yeah! You don't mess with the Turks!"

Tifa rolled her eyes and had Denzel join her. The kid was a little worse for wear, but they would get him back home and safe.

Cloud didn't miss the new pole he had.

"We  _own_  the place, now!"

Cloud also didn't miss Elena and Rude stalking past him with hands full of briefcases and bags. "Tifa, we should go."

She hesitated in the middle of her fussing over Denzel's ruined clothes and bleeding wounds. "What?"

A deafening bang sounded, followed by one of the walls exploding outward. Tifa shielded Denzel with herself and Cloud moved toward the Don's unconscious body.

Tifa made for the exit and only sent Cloud a questioning look before she got Denzel and herself out.

Cloud had one last thing to take care of.

Don Corneo laid motionless on the ground, but Cloud made out the rise and fall of his chest. "It's not my decision," Cloud said, more to himself, "who lives and who dies."

Then he stuck his blade through the Don's heart and stained that white suit red. Corneo's chest stilled and he one last, rattling breath. Cloud then followed Reno outside.

"What's the point of blowing it all up?" Cloud asked on the way out. "To hide the evidence?"

"No, to send a message!" Reno kept running toward the street. "Ya don't mess with the Turks, and you  _especially_ don't try to kidnap their kids!"

"You sent Denzel in there yourself."

"So?"

They stopped when they found the rest of the group, with Tifa, Denzel, and a shaking Marlene. For a moment Cloud wondered to himself if it was cold out here and he didn't notice, but then he noticed Tseng holding up Shinra's unconscious body.

 _What happened here?_  he meant to ask, but then Denzel came barreling into Reno with a pitched cry.


	6. Chapter 6

Denzel threw himself at Reno with all he had.

He went pole-first, but Reno took the pole in one hand. Denzel let it go and dove for the legs.

Reno kicked at him, but Denzel took hold of the other ankle and used that as the start he needed to climb up the man’s back.

“Oi!”

Denzel wrapped his legs around Reno’s middle and his arms around his neck. Ducked his head close to the neck and tightened his hold around the windpipe. “You did it!” he screamed. “It’s all your fault!”

“Your kid’s a brat!” Reno twisted about. “Damn it, I didn’t mean for you to use this on _me_!”

“Oh!” Elena’s elated voice. “Oh, look at that form! Rude, see? He’s learning so fast!”

Tifa whistled. “That _is_ impressive.”

“Too bad he’s got his grip wrong. Look there, you see it?”

“… I do. Come on, Denzel, get that neck into the crook of your arm! You just gotta adjust the position a little bit!”

“Oh, come on.” Metal clattered to the ground and Reno used both hands to grab Denzel by the arm and neck and _flipped_ -

Denzel slammed into the concrete back-first with a cry of pain. It felt like the entirety of his torso broke on impact, though he felt no blood. His vision pulsed in and out of focus.

A blur of motion and he heard Marlene scream, the sound of it piercing the air like the tone of a dying tuner.

Reno cursed again and Denzel made out one, two, three steps backward against.

Tifa yelled for Marlene to stop before stepping in herself to pull the girl off Reno, who swore loudly. Denzel made out the faint, blurry red that had to be blood dripping from the man’s hand.

He hauled himself into a sitting position and found Tifa holding Marlene back while Reno gripped his nose.

“I _hate all of you_!” Marlene struggled against Tifa’s hold. “I wish you would die and leave us alone!”

“What’s wrong with Shinra?” Cloud asked, joining Rude.

Denzel tried to ignore the pulsing pain in his back and struggled to his feet. Tifa worked to calm Marlene, who kept a death glare on Reno.

Denzel took his pole, the shaft of it scraping along the ground, and he used it to leverage his weight and hold steady.

Reno turned his back and muttered something under his breath. Denzel took the chance to ram his pole into Reno’s leg.

The man shouted and before Denzel could process what was happening, the man took Denzel by the throat and yanked him off his feet.

Denzel choked and dropped his pole. It clattered to the ground and he grabbed at Reno’s hand in a pathetic attempt to release himself.

Tifa yelled something and Reno shifted his grip to the neck of Denzel’s jacket. That still hurt, but he sucked in a breath.

“You wanted to grow up, didn’t you?” Reno leaned in and Denzel made out the crisp edges of the red lines under his eyes. “Do you have any idea what that means? To me, it meant blowing up a sector with no questions asked.”

Tifa tackled Reno and Denzel dropped to the ground.

“You killed my _parents_!” he yelled.

“And Aerith!” Marlene cried.

“And Avalanche.” Tifa held Reno back despite his struggling.

Denzel scrambled to get to his pole again, but someone pulled him back. “Let me go!”

“No.” Cloud. Denzel fell still and looked down at those leather-clad fingers. “Some things, it’s better to let go.”

“You know what growing up is?” Reno persisted. “It’s not processing orders until they’re done and people have died! Is that what you want?”

“We’re not good people.” Shinra’s voice, scratchy and low. Denzel looked behind him to find the man doubled over, but conscious. “And we offer no excuse.”

Reno finally stilled. Said nothing.

Every breath hurt. Denzel swallowed the pain and gripped his pole tighter. A quiet beeping sounded near Rude, but the man didn’t react to it. Was that how they found him?

“I don’t have time for this.” Reno wrenched away from Tifa and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll send you those bike parts later.”

“ _You pushed the button_!” Denzel pulled against Cloud but found no leverage. “You dropped Sector 7! YOU DROPPED SECTOR 7 AND YOU KILLED THEM!”

“Yeah, we all did.” Elena’s voice cracked and Reno kept walking. “We _all_ did.”

Denzel screamed against the lump forming in his throat. “I’ll kill you! I’ll kill ALL OF YOU!”

“Hey.” Aerith’s presence. He fought her, tried to keep out her warmth even as she wrapped arms around him and Cloud at the same time.

Denzel felt Cloud relax, yet he still couldn’t get free.

“Our job here is done.” Shinra stumbled over to Elena and Rude. “Let’s go.”

“YOU BASTARDS!” Denzel dropped his pole and flailed against Cloud and Aerith. “Let me go! Marlene, help!”

Marlene stilled in Tifa’s arms and Denzel caught tear tracks on her face as she looked between the Turks and him.

Elena cast them all one last glance before hurrying after Rude, who took Shinra and supported him on the way back.

“Bastards.” Denzel’s body racked with sobs. “ _Bastards_!”

“They are.” Cloud’s soft voice felt warm on Denzel’s ear. “But we don’t determine judgement.”

“They killed my mom!” Denzel twisted about in Cloud’s arms. “My dad!”

Cloud forced him against his chest and Denzel hissed at the pain in his back. “I know.”

“I can’t forgive them!”

“I know.”

“I _hate them_!”

“I know.”

The next words caught in his throat and Denzel cried. “I… I thought I could _trust_ them!”

“… I know.”

Smaller hands joined Cloud’s. “This sucks,” came Marlene’s voice before she put her arms around them. Aerith’s warmth waxed stronger at the touch.

Denzel rasped, “I don’t want to forgive them.”

“You don’t have to.” Cloud placed a gloved hand on Denzel head. “Not yet, at least.”

“It’s not something we have to face right now.” Tifa kneeled beside them. “Or anytime soon, really. You can wait until you’re older.”

“Good.” Marlene stepped away. “It’s just that I don’t think they _should_ be forgiven. They would have to save the whole entire world to deserve it.”

Tifa quirked a small smile. “Yeah, I think that would be enough. But you know they did that already?”

Marlene shook her head. “They didn’t.”

“But they helped keep both of you safe. And you two are the whole world to me and Cloud, so I think that counts.”

“It doesn’t!” Marlene stomped one foot. “We’re only two people! And there’s at least hundreds of people in the whole world!”

“It’s time for me to go.” Aerith separated herself. “I think you all can handle the rest, now.”

“Wait.” Denzel reached out a hand but didn’t want to leave Cloud. “Where are you going, Aerith?”

Cloud twitched.

Aerith slowly turned to face him. “Back to my duties in the Lifestream. You know that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but…” Denzel frowned. “There’s something going on with the worlds out there, right?”

“… Yes.”

“Can’t we help?”

Aerith hesitated. “I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s others assigned to do that kind of work and this is your home and-”

“But we _can_ help?”

“… Yes.” Aerith took a breath. “But please don’t. It’s too dangerous for people like you to get involved.”

Denzel opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. And nodded.

“Thank you. Always remember that I love you all, okay?”

He nodded again, causing his hair to rub against Cloud’s chest.

“Thank you.” And just like that, her presence vanished. Denzel realized that the others were quiet and staring at him.

“What did Aerith say?” Cloud asked after a moment’s pause.

“I don’t know.” Denzel reluctantly pulled himself to his feet and Cloud stood with him. “Something about stuff she has to do on other worlds. Said we shouldn’t worry about it and she loves you guys.”

Tifa stood and took Marlene’s hand. “I’m okay with that. How about we all stop by the café on the way home?”

“Let’s!” Marlene said and reached out a hand. Denzel took it. She didn’t show any of her previous anger and he thought the shift strange but couldn’t hold onto the hope that she wouldn’t snap again later. “I want flat cakes!”

Denzel reached out his other hand to Cloud, who took it. Denzel kept his grip tight on both of those at his sides. Nothing was fixed, but he felt a little better with his family at his side. Also, with the idea that he could go see other worlds – much as Aerith tried to hide it, she couldn’t keep from him that feeling of freedom.

There was a way out there.

* * *

 

Rufus returned with the rest of the Turks to their hidden home near the slums. The walk back was slow and quiet. Rufus leaned against Rude most of the way, but by the time they reached their safe house, he found the strength to walk on his own again, unsteady as it was.

His mind still reeled from the intrusion and he struggled to see as normal with his body expecting a different outlook. Expected to feel a woman’s long hair on his shoulders, restrictive leather against his skin, and a staff in his hands. Expected to feel blood on his skin and the scent of roses and decay in his nose. Expected to feel the course of magic in his system.

“Boss.” Elena placed a hand on his shoulder. “You really should rest.”

“I will.” Rufus placed a hand over hers. “I will.”

Entering their house didn’t feel like the typical breath of fresh air – much like he shouldn’t expect it, however, it was disorienting. He didn’t feel… safe.

The others scattered to the other parts of the building to drop off collected goods and other pickups before regathering.

Rufus went first to the cupboard where they stored the alcohol and pulled out for himself some cheap whiskey while Reno made a grab for a towel and Rufus took a seat by the table. Elena hesitated in the middle of the room.

Tseng joined them shortly after, delayed as he was by the cleanup. “Those documents you asked for.” He placed a handful on the counter with the rest of the paperwork pileup.

Rufus nodded his thanks before gulping down a burning cup of whiskey and refilling it. “The underground is ours, then.”

“As officially as it could be.” Tseng shook his head and stood apart from the counter, as if repelled by the paper. “We’ve secured all of Corneo’s assets in the lower room.”

“The ones that would fit,” said Reno. He dabbed at his bloodied face with the wetted cloth and yanked too many pills from his pocket. He swallowed them all at once. “The guy had some big commodities that didn’t travel so well. Some got caught in the blast, sadly.”

“We wouldn’t get anything out of his car,” said Rude. “It would only hinder us.”

“Yeah, but it looked like a _sweet_ ride.” Reno shrugged and winced. Dabbed at his face some more. “Could have used it for a prop or something.”

“We aren’t good men.” Shinra let out a slow breath and swirled the glass in his hands. Saw blood splatters against a cave wall in his mind’s eye and tried to dispel the image. “And we never will be.”

“… No.” Elena took a moment to respond to that – the others didn’t hide their initial grimace at the reminder. “But we can still _do_ good.”

Tseng looked up. “And good is what we’re doing.”

“Yeah, right.” Reno stared out the window. “Speak for yourselves.”

“We have the underground.” Tseng folded his arms and looked about them. “From here we can start enacting the next phase of our plan.”

Rude shook his head. “We shouldn’t have used the boy like that.”

“He was never in any danger!” Reno slammed his towel on the counter. “Besides, now he’s safer thanks to us! Couldn’t even throw a punch when he got here.”

“But it must have been terrifying.” Elena rubbed at her eyes. “At least we know how to defend ourselves. Golly, I need to sleep.”

“What does it matter?” Reno threw himself into a chair by the table. “He wasn’t even hurt that badly!”

“It’s no different from what we’ve been doing our whole lives,” said Tseng. “This is for the greater good of the city and we should keep ourselves focused on that. I’ll take responsibility for taking him here in the first place, but we’ve obtained the exact opening we needed. With the Don out of the picture, we can claim credit and insert our dominance without sowing the same distrust we might have otherwise.”

“We’ll need to act fast.” Shinra took another sip and savored the woody sting. “Stamp out any opposition while we can and not let the hole fill.”

“Child’s play.” Reno waved a hand. “Tseng’s right – we’ve got this in the bag.”

“Hey.” Rude pointed at Shinra. “That’s your fifth glass.”

Shinra blinked and looked down. He lost track.

“Who is that?” Elena gestured toward Shinra. “Do you have someone beside you or am I seeing things again?”

Shinra blinked and looked to the side. Felt that voice in his head, “She refers to myself.”

“I see it, too.” Tseng lowered himself into a chair.

Reno piped up, “I don’t see nothing.”

“Ignore me.” Minwu manifested himself and floated close to Shinra. “I’m merely here to observe.”

“Are you, now?” Elena narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

The door opened and Shinra’s blood went cold at the… presence that joined them.

A blonde lady dressed in blue drapes entered along with the green-coated man. Rufus’ agents all leaped to their feet and readied weapons.

“No,” Rufus found himself saying. Another being inside him – Minwu took control of his speech and caused him to stand. “You have no dominion over this world or any other. The dead protect their own, Fallen God.”

“The lord of light has made a decision,” hissed the lady. “The dead have no right to interfere in the realm of deity.”

“And yet you’ve left your realm.” Rufus lifted his chin. “Return you to your nothingness, Bhunivelze and accept your defeat.”

“I will not!” the green-coated man shouted in double-tone and leapt forward.

“I won’t let you take this man!” Rufus yanked his gun free and the Turks slipped into motion.

* * *

Serah sped through the currents of time and space with Sice beside her. The Historia Crux churned about them, its spindles cranking to a new flow. Outside of the slight shift in atmosphere, it felt the same to her. She almost imagined Noel flying beside her.

“Here’s our stop!” Sice flipped and spun to the side and Serah followed. The open sky filled their view before overtaking the space about them as well.

Serah shot through water and her feet touched on soft sand. They arrived half-immersed in the ocean of Valhalla and Serah coughed water out of her nose before joining Sice on the shore. For some reason, Sice didn’t seem affected at all by the… swim… they took.

“Doesn’t seem very convenient,” Serah managed despite a burning in her throat and nose. “Do you have to do this every time?”

“It’s the only way.” Sice gestured and Serah glanced behind to find the ocean reflecting back old ruins, big cities, small towns, forest paths, and icy landscapes that made up only a handful of the images that overlapped and churned about in the water surface. “Valhalla’s different from your planets.”

“A hub?” Serah asked as she followed Sice toward a palace-like building. The spiral structure she was used to seeing stood further off in the horizon and she felt a fluttering in her stomach at the chance to check the place out this time. “I didn’t realize it was so big.”

“There’s a lot of things you didn’t realize.”

Serah blinked water out of her eyes and squeezed it out of her skirt, though the drops seeped straight through the sand, as if evaporating on the spot.

They stepped under the palace’s opening archway and were greeted by the sight of stairs at the end of a large hall that branched out in opposite directions and connected with promenades that circled the whole room and connected behind them.

“It looks like a lot of people are supposed to be here.” Serah blinked. “What’s the purpose of this place?”

Sice shrugged. “Queen’s the one with all the useless trivia. Ask her when we get there.”

“I would love to take time to check it all out.”

They barely made it halfway up the staircase leading left before footsteps thundered their way.

“Serah!”

Her heart fluttered. That _voice_!

She looked up to find Snow – dressed in what looked like a haphazard collection of costume pieces – barreling their way.

That rough, bellowing _voice_!

Serah let out a shriek and rushed his way, arms outstretched. “Snow!”

“Oh, boy,” sighed Sice behind her.

Serah and Snow smacked into each other with all the force of a fallen adamantoise. Serah flung her arms around his neck, chest hurting, and smelled ocean waves and woody cold. Her feet dangled off the ground, Snow’s large arms holding her aloft.

Fingers tangled in her hair and Serah buried her face in his shoulder. She could make out a faint hint of sweat, but mostly he just smelled like _Snow_ , like ice frozen to a tree’s branches and the beach during a windy day.

“Serah.” Cool breath on her neck. His voice, usually so loud and boisterous, broke in her ears. “Please tell me this is real.”

She swallowed a lump in her throat and wrapped her legs around his middle, tightened her arms around his neck. “I-…” The words caught in her throat and she pulled back, using the support of his shoulders to hold herself up.

Looked into his frosty eyes, glistening as they were. Her own stung, cheeks warm, and she felt a tear escape down her face.

Snow pulled her close again and lowered himself to his knees. Serah gripped a handful of his coat in her hands and tightened the hold until her fingers hurt. His body was cold against hers, his breath coming in ragged breaths until sobs overtook him and he trembled in her arms.

Serah let her own tears fall and stain his sleeve dark.

He kissed the side of her face and Serah leaned into it, wishing she could somehow get closer despite being pressed together like glue.

“Oi.” Something tapped her shoulder. “You two coming or what?”

Serah hiccupped and reigned in her emotions enough to look up into Sice’s grimacing face. “Yeah. Of course.”

Snow reluctantly let her go, but Serah took his gloved hand in hers before standing. Snow joined her, and she leaned into him as they continued on down the hall. “So,” Serah said after a moment. “What did I miss?”

Snow scratched at his scalp. “Not much, actually. We’re all just waiting until we can get everyone together. I became a sports player in my previous life, though, so that was fun. Also, might have stopped a rebellion, but that was a little unclear.”

They came to a large-ish room with open walls to overlook the vast expanse of Valhalla’s empty, sprawling architecture. An unnatural silence hung over the space and Serah couldn’t help a sense of loneliness out here.

“Hey guys!” Snow shouted. Serah startled to attention and found him waving to a group of people surrounding a girl at a desk with a large tome before her.

One of the people had pink hair like hers and-

“Lightning!” Serah rushed forward and her sister barely had time to blink before Serah crashed into her and threw arms around her neck.

Lightning stiffened for a moment before reluctantly placing a hand on her shoulder. “… Serah?”

“The one and only!” Snow joined them. “See? I was gonna get her eventually!”

“Yeah.” Lightning pried Serah off and looked her up and down. “Real this time, right?”

“Of course!” Serah hopped in place and took both Lightning’s hands. “What was your life like, then? Did you work for a law enforcement group again?”

Lightning twitched the smallest smile. “Of a sort.”

“We had to jumpstart her memory,” Snow teased. “Barely remembered anything when she first got here!”

“Oh.” Some of the euphoria faded. “But you know who we are, right?”

“Of course.” Lightning pulled a hand free and tapped Serah’s forehead. “But there’s more coming, so don’t spoil it.”

“How much?” Serah looked to Snow. “Etro?”

“We’re working on it,” said the lady at the desk. She had long, dark hair, glasses, and she spoke with a soft, commanding tone. “Lightning should be back to a hundred percent with another day or so.”

“I’m right here.”

Vanille, whom Serah didn’t realize was there for her odd, frilly dress, stepped forward. “All our situations were different,” she said. “Some remember earlier than others in relation to their departure from their planet.”

Serah looked around them. She didn’t recognize the other five teenagers with them. “Who are we still missing?”

“Hope,” Lightning said, “Fang, and Sazh.”

“And Noel,” said Snow. “I guess she doesn’t remember him, yet.”

Lightning twitched an eyebrow. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

“And Yeul,” said one of the men that Serah didn’t recognize. “She’s coming, too.”

Snow blinked. “I thought she was the goddess of death, now?”

“Not this version.” The dark-haired girl got back to her tome and pulled a pen out of nowhere. “You have one last partner for us to worry about.”

“How are they going?” asked Sice. “Any word from Seven or Ace?”

“They’re working on it.” The girl looked up. “Sazh remembers everything, but he’s… hesitant to leave. King, what does Seven say?”

A large, strong-jawed guy said, “She’s working with an emperor of her world, who’s supposed to be connected. No sight of Hope, yet.”

The girl wrote something in the tome. “You all focus on resting and absorbing Valhalla’s energy – we’ll need it if something happens.”

“Wait.” Lightning turned to the desk. “Why can’t we go down with them, now?”

“Because you still need to adapt and recuperate.” The girl didn’t look up. “None of us are used to our existence yet and moving between worlds as we’ve been doing will take its toll if we’re not careful.”

“I’d love a field trip,” said another blond guy with a sickly pallor. He put his hands behind his head. “But they’re exhausting! I’m gonna go take a nap if anyone needs me.”

“Sounds good to me.” Snow pulled Serah close. “Hey, let’s find one of the gardens and sit down. You need to tell me all about your world!”

“And you yours!” Serah snuggled close to him and they left the room. “You look like some bandit from Pulse! You don’t even have any earrings!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Snow swiped at his nose. “Kinda macho, don’t you think? Wait, what do you mean about earrings? I’ve never worn earrings!”

Serah basked in the strength of him. “No, but I got used to a certain standard where I came from. Women were the ones to go without and I earned some respect for donning them…”

 

 

 


End file.
